--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was hard for me to believe. I would…" description: "\"It was hard for me to believe. I would look down and say, 'This is the moon, this is the moon,' and I would look up and say, 'That's the Earth, that's ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/alan-bean-19480_believe_it-was-hard-for-me-to-believe-i-would-lo_2832542.png" --- # It was hard for me to believe. I would look down and say… ![“It was hard for me to believe. I would look down and say, 'This is the moon, this is the moon,' and I would look up and say, 'That's the Earth, that's the Earth,' in my head. So, it was science fiction to us even as we were doing it.” quote by Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/alan-bean-19480_believe_it-was-hard-for-me-to-believe-i-would-lo_2832542.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/alan-bean-19480_believe_it-was-hard-for-me-to-believe-i-would-lo_2832542.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/alan-bean-19480_believe_it-was-hard-for-me-to-believe-i-would-lo_2832542.png) > “It was hard for me to believe. I would look down and say, 'This is the moon, this is the moon,' and I would look up and say, 'That's the Earth, that's the Earth,' in my head. So, it was science fiction to us even as we were doing it.” [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The astronaut describes the surreal experience of seeing Earth and Moon, feeling like science fiction. **In simple terms:** Seeing Earth and Moon felt unreal, like sci‑fi. Key Takeaway Appreciate the wonder of space exploration. Themes wonder perspective space travel Mood wonderful humble Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - education - public talks - museum exhibits - inspiration for STEM Key Concepts astronomy human experience cosmic scale exploration humility Questions to Reflect On - How does perspective change when viewing Earth from space? - What emotions arise from such contrast? A Different Perspective The awe may fade without personal connection to the cosmos. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes I look at the moon and the stars, and think your looking at the same stars and moon, without me. Sometimes I cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-look-at-the-moon-and-the-stars-and-think-your-looking-at/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ “The moon’s a dead rock, but I still like the word, so black in its white space. \[…\] what can we say to the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-wright/the-moon-s-a-dead-rock-but-i-still-like-the-word-so-black-in-its/) [Franz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-wright/) > [You get to say that the Earth is flat because we live in a country that guarantees your free speech. But it's not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-get-to-say-that-the-earth-is-flat-because-we-live-in-a-country/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We might say that the earth has the spirit of growth; that its flesh is the soil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/we-might-say-that-the-earth-has-the-spirit-of-growth-that-its-flesh/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [I know it's not very masculine to say the moon is beautiful...but it is!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/i-know-it-s-not-very-masculine-to-say-the-moon-is-beautiful-but-it-is/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) > [You have to be able to appreciate these things. How many people can say it was a full moon last night and appreciate it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-miller/you-have-to-be-able-to-appreciate-these-things-how-many-people-can/) Sandy Miller > [“The sight of you brings joy to my heart and makes my blood thunder in my veins. I know not how long I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-furnivall/the-sight-of-you-brings-joy-to-my-heart-and-makes-my-blood-thunder-in/) [Kate Furnivall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-furnivall/) > [“Let’s just say, there’s not much of a moon out tonight,” Nose continued anyway, “but if Yale joined us, there would be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ripley-patton/let-s-just-say-there-s-not-much-of-a-moon-out-tonight-nose-continued/) [Ripley Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ripley-patton/) > [“The Earth, dost thou say? What has the Earth ever realized, that drop of frozen mud, whose Time is only a lie in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-de-villiers-de-l-isle-adam/the-earth-dost-thou-say-what-has-the-earth-ever-realized-that-drop-of/) [Auguste de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-de-villiers-de-l-isle-adam/) > [I say the whole earth and all the stars in the sky are for religion's sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-say-the-whole-earth-and-all-the-stars-in-the-sky-are-for-religion-s/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [“I say the moon in the night in which we live illuminates”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-boswell/i-say-the-moon-in-the-night-in-which-we-live-illuminates/) Britt Boswell > [“I take it, no fool ever made a bargain for his soul with the devil; the fool is too much of a fool, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-take-it-no-fool-ever-made-a-bargain-for-his-soul-with-the-devil-the/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“I see a glint in her eye as she looks at me and it makes me smile. Hold our breath? she seems to say.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/i-see-a-glint-in-her-eye-as-she-looks-at-me-and-it-makes-me-smile/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [I describe my projects using colors because it's the best way to describe 'em. I would say that 'Moon Shoes' was way more colorful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravyn-lenae/i-describe-my-projects-using-colors-because-it-s-the-best-way-to/) [Ravyn Lenae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravyn-lenae/) ## More by Alan Bean > [Just like some day, say, 1000 years from now, when we can go to another star and see a planet, that's what we would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/just-like-some-day-say-1000-years-from-now-when-we-can-go-to-another/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [History has spurts and then is steady, and then maybe even backing up a step, and then forward again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/history-has-spurts-and-then-is-steady-and-then-maybe-even-backing-up/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [It seems farther away now because there are no rockets getting there. Nobody is going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/it-seems-farther-away-now-because-there-are-no-rockets-getting-there/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [I feel blessed every day when I'm working on these paintings... the first artist to ever go to another world and try to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/i-feel-blessed-every-day-when-i-m-working-on-these-paintings-the/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [On Earth, I weighed 150 pounds; my suit and backpack weighed another 150. 300 pounds. Up there, I weighed only 50. So I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/on-earth-i-weighed-150-pounds-my-suit-and-backpack-weighed-another/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [I have the nicest life in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/i-have-the-nicest-life-in-the-world/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [At one-sixth gravity in that suit, you have to move in a different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/at-one-sixth-gravity-in-that-suit-you-have-to-move-in-a-different-way/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [I find color schemes that I just like and that just feel right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/i-find-color-schemes-that-i-just-like-and-that-just-feel-right/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [But I'm the only one who can paint the moon, because I'm the only one who knows whether that's right or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/but-i-m-the-only-one-who-can-paint-the-moon-because-i-m-the-only-one/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [I can remember walking on the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/i-can-remember-walking-on-the-moon/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [One of the great things about the universe is that it's fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/one-of-the-great-things-about-the-universe-is-that-it-s-fair/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [It's hard not to be excited when you're going to find a way to land on the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/it-s-hard-not-to-be-excited-when-you-re-going-to-find-a-way-to-land/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [I feel like everyone who goes to The University of Texas is blessed and lucky to be there because they're getting a chance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/i-feel-like-everyone-who-goes-to-the-university-of-texas-is-blessed/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [If you remember back to some of the television we saw, Buzz and Neil on the Moon with Apollo 11. Black and white. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/if-you-remember-back-to-some-of-the-television-we-saw-buzz-and-neil/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [I believe that 100, 200, 300 years from now, all these paintings will be around because they're the first paintings of humans doing things off this Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/i-believe-that-100-200-300-years-from-now-all-these-paintings-will-be/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) [Explore all 32 Alan Bean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was hard for me to believe. I would look down and say, 'This is the moon, this is the moon,' and I would look up and say, 'That's the Earth, that's the Earth,' in my head. 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