--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whether you are an astronomer or a life…" description: "\"Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist, geophysicist, or a pilot, you've got to be there because you believe you are good in your field, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/alan-shepard-11358_astronomer_whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life_2168596.png" --- # Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist… ![“Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist, geophysicist, or a pilot, you've got to be there because you believe you are good in your field, and you can contribute, not because you are going to get a lot of fame or whatever when you get back.” quote by Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/alan-shepard-11358_astronomer_whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life_2168596.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/alan-shepard-11358_astronomer_whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life_2168596.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/alan-shepard-11358_astronomer_whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life_2168596.png) > “Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist, geophysicist, or a pilot, you've got to be there because you believe you are good in your field, and you can contribute, not because you are going to get a lot of fame or whatever when you get back.” [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing in your expertise and contribution matters more than fame; act where you can help. **In simple terms:** Focus on skill and contribution over fame. Key Takeaway Contribute where you excel. Themes expertise contribution humility Mood proud determined Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - career decisions - team projects - volunteering - research collaborations Key Concepts self‑efficacy intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure impact beyond recognition? - What motivates you more: praise or purpose? A Different Perspective Fame can still influence decisions despite intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomer/) [Astronomer Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomer-life-4633888/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Field Contribute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/field-contribute-4633890/) [Good Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-field-959803/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Scientist Geophysicist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist-geophysicist-4633889/) ## Related quotes > [My private life is perfect. If your private life and your life outside football is good, then it is good on the field for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/my-private-life-is-perfect-if-your-private-life-and-your-life-outside/) [David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/) > [Why, if someone is good in one field can they not be accepted or given the slightest opportunity to express and be creative in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/why-if-someone-is-good-in-one-field-can-they-not-be-accepted-or-given/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [It's always good to get back out on the field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-gronkowski/it-s-always-good-to-get-back-out-on-the-field/) [Rob Gronkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-gronkowski/) > [Why is computer science a good field for women? For one thing, thats where the jobs are, and for another, the pay is better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/why-is-computer-science-a-good-field-for-women-for-one-thing-thats/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [I spent almost 25 years of my life thinking I wasn't good enough. On the field, it was like, 'Don't drop this, don't drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-waller/i-spent-almost-25-years-of-my-life-thinking-i-wasn-t-good-enough-on/) [Darren Waller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-waller/) > [My parents gave me a small telescope, then I built my own, and one thing led to another. So that's how I ended up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitar-sasselov/my-parents-gave-me-a-small-telescope-then-i-built-my-own-and-one/) [Dimitar Sasselov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimitar-sasselov/) > [“Sleep disorders are a known occupational hazard to astronomers and their support staff.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/sleep-disorders-are-a-known-occupational-hazard-to-astronomers-and/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Deandre gazed at her like she was the stars, and he was a mere astronomer, searching her face for the constellations, admiring the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishabella-sheikh/deandre-gazed-at-her-like-she-was-the-stars-and-he-was-a-mere/) [Aishabella Sheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishabella-sheikh/) > [Just because a man glances up at the sky at night does not make him an astronomer, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/just-because-a-man-glances-up-at-the-sky-at-night-does-not-make-him/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [Why would you listen to an astronomer about a planet?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/why-would-you-listen-to-an-astronomer-about-a-planet/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [I'm an amateur astronomer, and I practice that hobby a lot. And I'm fascinated by hard science. Hard science is something for me that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-russ/i-m-an-amateur-astronomer-and-i-practice-that-hobby-a-lot-and-i-m/) [Tim Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-russ/) > [“The astonished astronomer who made the discovery was left with one all-important question: is it more appropriate to e-mail, call, or text your boss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-astonished-astronomer-who-made-the-discovery-was-left-with-one/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [If I didn't choose art, I would have become an astronomer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-max/if-i-didn-t-choose-art-i-would-have-become-an-astronomer/) [Peter Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-max/) > [I was a kind of a one-man army. I could solder circuits together, I could turn out things on the lathe, I could work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-allen/i-was-a-kind-of-a-one-man-army-i-could-solder-circuits-together-i/) [James Van Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-allen/) > [“The toxicity of medical and industrial gas to the human depends on where it is used. A gas that is regarded as safe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-toxicity-of-medical-and-industrial-gas-to-the-human-depends-on/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Alan Shepard > [I realized up there that our planet is not infinite. It's fragile. That may not be obvious to a lot of folks, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/i-realized-up-there-that-our-planet-is-not-infinite-it-s-fragile-that/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [“If you don't use your experience, your past is wasted, and you are betraying yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/if-you-don-t-use-your-experience-your-past-is-wasted-and-you-are/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [Unfortunately, the suit is so stiff, I can't do this with two hands, but I'm going to try a little sand-trap shot here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/unfortunately-the-suit-is-so-stiff-i-can-t-do-this-with-two-hands-but/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [I think about the personal accomplishment, but there's more of a sense of the grand achievement by all the people who could put this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/i-think-about-the-personal-accomplishment-but-there-s-more-of-a-sense/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [The first plane ride was in a homemade glider my buddy and I built. Unfortunately we didn't get more than four feet off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/the-first-plane-ride-was-in-a-homemade-glider-my-buddy-and-i-built/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [It's been a long way, but we're here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/it-s-been-a-long-way-but-we-re-here/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [I must admit, maybe I am a piece of history after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/i-must-admit-maybe-i-am-a-piece-of-history-after-all/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [Of course I was delighted the flight was over, but I still had to worry about cleaning up inside the cabin, I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/of-course-i-was-delighted-the-flight-was-over-but-i-still-had-to/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [Because of the suit I was wearing, I couldn't make a good pivot on the swing. And I had to hit the ball with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/because-of-the-suit-i-was-wearing-i-couldn-t-make-a-good-pivot-on-the/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [There's no question that all the generations got excited about the first flights, with Kennedy's inspiration to go to the moon, leaving the planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/there-s-no-question-that-all-the-generations-got-excited-about-the/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [Then I thought, with the same clubhead speed, the ball's going to go at least six times as far. There's absolutely no drag, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/then-i-thought-with-the-same-clubhead-speed-the-ball-s-going-to-go-at/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [The pilot looked at his cues of attitude and speed and orientation and so on and responded as he would from the same cues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/the-pilot-looked-at-his-cues-of-attitude-and-speed-and-orientation/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [So everything turned out fine, and we were given the opportunity to go to Washington and be briefed on the project of man in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/so-everything-turned-out-fine-and-we-were-given-the-opportunity-to-go/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [Miles and miles and miles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/miles-and-miles-and-miles/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [Then there was the challenge to keep doing better and better, to fly the best test flight that anybody had ever flown. That led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/then-there-was-the-challenge-to-keep-doing-better-and-better-to-fly/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) [Explore all 60 Alan Shepard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) ## More Astronomer quotes > [“The toxicity of medical and industrial gas to the human depends on where it is used. A gas that is regarded as safe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-toxicity-of-medical-and-industrial-gas-to-the-human-depends-on/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I was a kind of a one-man army. I could solder circuits together, I could turn out things on the lathe, I could work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-allen/i-was-a-kind-of-a-one-man-army-i-could-solder-circuits-together-i/) [James Van Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-allen/) > [If I didn't choose art, I would have become an astronomer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-max/if-i-didn-t-choose-art-i-would-have-become-an-astronomer/) [Peter Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-max/) > [“The astonished astronomer who made the discovery was left with one all-important question: is it more appropriate to e-mail, call, or text your boss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-astonished-astronomer-who-made-the-discovery-was-left-with-one/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [I'm an amateur astronomer, and I practice that hobby a lot. And I'm fascinated by hard science. Hard science is something for me that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-russ/i-m-an-amateur-astronomer-and-i-practice-that-hobby-a-lot-and-i-m/) [Tim Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-russ/) > [Why would you listen to an astronomer about a planet?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/why-would-you-listen-to-an-astronomer-about-a-planet/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [Just because a man glances up at the sky at night does not make him an astronomer, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/just-because-a-man-glances-up-at-the-sky-at-night-does-not-make-him/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [“Deandre gazed at her like she was the stars, and he was a mere astronomer, searching her face for the constellations, admiring the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishabella-sheikh/deandre-gazed-at-her-like-she-was-the-stars-and-he-was-a-mere/) [Aishabella Sheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishabella-sheikh/) > [“Sleep disorders are a known occupational hazard to astronomers and their support staff.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/sleep-disorders-are-a-known-occupational-hazard-to-astronomers-and/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [My parents gave me a small telescope, then I built my own, and one thing led to another. So that's how I ended up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitar-sasselov/my-parents-gave-me-a-small-telescope-then-i-built-my-own-and-one/) [Dimitar Sasselov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimitar-sasselov/) > [When people on airplanes ask me what I do, I used to say I was a physicist, which ended the discussion. I once said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/when-people-on-airplanes-ask-me-what-i-do-i-used-to-say-i-was-a/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [Any astronomer can predict with absolute accuracy just where every star in the universe will be at 11.30 tonight. He can make no such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-astronomer-can-predict-with-absolute-accuracy-just-where-every/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“An Astronomer is to tell where the planets are. Then an Astrologer is to interpret what the location of those planets mean for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitta-xinindlu/an-astronomer-is-to-tell-where-the-planets-are-then-an-astrologer-is/) [Mitta Xinindlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitta-xinindlu/) > [“Industrial liquid gas containers were left open and venting gas into the indoor environment in high altitude astronomy. On reflection, I realized that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/industrial-liquid-gas-containers-were-left-open-and-venting-gas-into/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Very high altitude astronomy only works by ignoring established biological science”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/very-high-altitude-astronomy-only-works-by-ignoring-established/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 83 Astronomer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist, geophysicist, or a pilot, you've got to be there because you believe you are good in your field, and you can contribute, not because you are going to get a lot of fame or whatever when you get back.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Shepard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life-scientist-geophysicist-or-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astronomer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life-scientist-geophysicist-or-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/alan-shepard-11358_astronomer_whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life_2168596.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/alan-shepard-11358_astronomer_whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life_2168596.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/alan-shepard-11358_astronomer_whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life_2168596.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist, geophysicist, or a pilot, you've got to be there because…” — Alan Shepard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Shepard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whether you are an astronomer or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life-scientist-geophysicist-or-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/whether-you-are-an-astronomer-or-a-life-scientist-geophysicist-or-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```