--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Carl did not want to believe. He wanted…" description: "\"Carl did not want to believe. He wanted to know.\" — Ann Druyan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ann-druyan-13605_agnostic_carl-did-not-want-to-believe-he-wanted-t_446149.png" --- # Carl did not want to believe. He wanted to know. ![“Carl did not want to believe. He wanted to know.” quote by Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ann-druyan-13605_agnostic_carl-did-not-want-to-believe-he-wanted-t_446149.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ann-druyan-13605_agnostic_carl-did-not-want-to-believe-he-wanted-t_446149.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ann-druyan-13605_agnostic_carl-did-not-want-to-believe-he-wanted-t_446149.png) > “Carl did not want to believe. He wanted to know.” [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Carl needed belief, but curiosity drove him to seek knowledge. **In simple terms:** He wanted to know more than to believe. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity over blind faith. Themes science inquiry belief Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - research projects - education - personal growth Key Concepts epistemology critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What belief are you questioning? - How does curiosity change your actions? A Different Perspective Belief can motivate perseverance despite uncertainty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agnostic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnostic/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Rage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rage/) ## Related quotes > [He didn't want to believe. He wanted to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/he-didn-t-want-to-believe-he-wanted-to-know/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I've always wanted to do it. I know a lot of people say that, but I really did want to make films, even when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-edwards/i-ve-always-wanted-to-do-it-i-know-a-lot-of-people-say-that-but-i/) [Gareth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-edwards/) > [Maybe we all just wanted someone to believe in. That's all each of us wanted, and it should be so simple, but it never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/maybe-we-all-just-wanted-someone-to-believe-in-that-s-all-each-of-us/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [Choose what to believe. He wanted the truth. Why was everybody so determined that he should not get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/choose-what-to-believe-he-wanted-the-truth-why-was-everybody-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I wanted characters I could believe in, and I wanted to be made curious about what was to happen to them. Generally, I preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-wanted-characters-i-could-believe-in-and-i-wanted-to-be-made/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“People would believe what they wanted to believe;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-would-believe-what-they-wanted-to-believe/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To take pictures had become a necessity and I did not want to forgo it for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inge-morath/to-take-pictures-had-become-a-necessity-and-i-did-not-want-to-forgo/) [Inge Morath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inge-morath/) > [Let's just say that back in the old days, sex was available every two feet. But I never made love to anybody that did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/let-s-just-say-that-back-in-the-old-days-sex-was-available-every-two/) Adam Ant > [People ask me, 'Did you always want to be on SNL?' No, actually, it never crossed my mind. It didn't even seem possible. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/people-ask-me-did-you-always-want-to-be-on-snl-no-actually-it-never/) [Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/) > [I did not want to avoid service. I did realize reservists could be called up, and that it was something that I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-blumenthal/i-did-not-want-to-avoid-service-i-did-realize-reservists-could-be/) [Richard Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-blumenthal/) > [After all you did to me all I want to know is, WHY THE FUCK DO I STILL LOVE YOU?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-loveable/after-all-you-did-to-me-all-i-want-to-know-is-why-the-fuck-do-i-still/) [Arjun Loveable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-loveable/) > [I did not want to be the best black man of the year; I wanted to be the best man of the year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daley-thompson/i-did-not-want-to-be-the-best-black-man-of-the-year-i-wanted-to-be/) [Daley Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daley-thompson/) > [And the other was this: the doctor did want to take off my leg because he thought it was necessary. But you must remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/and-the-other-was-this-the-doctor-did-want-to-take-off-my-leg-because/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [I simply did not want my face to be my talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-simply-did-not-want-my-face-to-be-my-talent/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [Did I want a dog? No. Did I need a dog? Also no. We were six kids running for our lives, not knowing where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/did-i-want-a-dog-no-did-i-need-a-dog-also-no-we-were-six-kids-running/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) ## More by Ann Druyan > [We are living in a society that is totally dependent on science and high technology, and yet most of us are effectively alienated and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/we-are-living-in-a-society-that-is-totally-dependent-on-science-and/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [If you have a beating heart, that's good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/if-you-have-a-beating-heart-that-s-good-enough/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [“It's not for any one generation to see the completed picture. That's the point. The picture is never completed. There is always so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/it-s-not-for-any-one-generation-to-see-the-completed-picture-that-s/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [“Why do we separate the scientific, which is just a way of searching for the truth, from what we hold sacred, which are those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/why-do-we-separate-the-scientific-which-is-just-a-way-of-searching/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [I believe that we are a story-driven species and that we understand how things are put together, in the context of narrative. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/i-believe-that-we-are-a-story-driven-species-and-that-we-understand/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [The Universe revealed by science is one of far more awesome grandeur than any religion has ever posited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/the-universe-revealed-by-science-is-one-of-far-more-awesome-grandeur/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [No single step in the persuit of enlightenment should ever be considered sacred; only the search was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/no-single-step-in-the-persuit-of-enlightenment-should-ever-be/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [People think that if you are a scientist you have to give up that joy of discovery, that passion, that sense of the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/people-think-that-if-you-are-a-scientist-you-have-to-give-up-that-joy/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [If you are searching for sacred knowledge and not just a palliative for your fears, then you will train yourself to be a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/if-you-are-searching-for-sacred-knowledge-and-not-just-a-palliative/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [We smoked the way other American families would have wine with dinner. For us, it was our sacrament. It was something that made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/we-smoked-the-way-other-american-families-would-have-wine-with-dinner/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [The greatest thing that science teaches you is the law of unintended consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/the-greatest-thing-that-science-teaches-you-is-the-law-of-unintended/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [For most of the history of our species we were helpless to understand how nature works. We took every storm, drought, illness and comet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/for-most-of-the-history-of-our-species-we-were-helpless-to-understand/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [Contrary to the fantasies of the fundamentalists, there was no deathbed conversion, no last minute refuge taken in a comforting vision of a heaven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/contrary-to-the-fantasies-of-the-fundamentalists-there-was-no/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [The only gratification that science denies to us is deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/the-only-gratification-that-science-denies-to-us-is-deception/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [Well, I actually grew up in the sixties. I feel very lucky, actually, that that was my slice of time that I was dealt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/well-i-actually-grew-up-in-the-sixties-i-feel-very-lucky-actually/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) [Explore all 49 Ann Druyan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) ## More Agnostic quotes > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [The prayer of the agnostic: "O God, if there is a God, save my soul if I have a soul."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-renan/the-prayer-of-the-agnostic-o-god-if-there-is-a-god-save-my-soul-if-i/) [Ernest Renan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-renan/) > [I'm actually, for the most part, a complete agnostic politically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/i-m-actually-for-the-most-part-a-complete-agnostic-politically/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [Even when I was saying I was Agnostic and trying to figure out my thoughts, I felt God was allowing me to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfre-woodard/even-when-i-was-saying-i-was-agnostic-and-trying-to-figure-out-my/) [Alfre Woodard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfre-woodard/) > [There is, in fact, nothing about religious opinions that entitles them to any more respect than other opinions get. On the contrary, they tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-is-in-fact-nothing-about-religious-opinions-that-entitles-them/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“Some people are so stiff and inhumane as the dogma's they believe in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/some-people-are-so-stiff-and-inhumane-as-the-dogma-s-they-believe-in/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [If a humanist or an atheist or an agnostic says, "We'll bake you a pie," we can go right into the kitchen and bake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/if-a-humanist-or-an-atheist-or-an-agnostic-says-we-ll-bake-you-a-pie/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [I'm agnostic because I went through the usual process of parents insisting you go to church, and yet they didn't. So there's me, sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/i-m-agnostic-because-i-went-through-the-usual-process-of-parents/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [Intellect, at its best, can make you agnostic. Being theist or atheist is still a matter of choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/intellect-at-its-best-can-make-you-agnostic-being-theist-or-atheist/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [To be agnostic is to be open-minded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-agnostic-is-to-be-open-minded/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All Gaza's temples are torn down and burned and the city is cleansed of every belief but the Christian faith. The most stubborn opponents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsay-macmullen/all-gaza-s-temples-are-torn-down-and-burned-and-the-city-is-cleansed/) [Ramsay MacMullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsay-macmullen/) > [I'm still agnostic. But in the words of Elton Richards, I'm now a reverant agnostic. Which isn't an oxymoron, I swear. I now believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-still-agnostic-but-in-the-words-of-elton-richards-i-m-now-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm agnostic. By definition, I'm unsure of what to believe in, but I'm also borderline-capable of believing in anything and everything, or nothing at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-lola/i-m-agnostic-by-definition-i-m-unsure-of-what-to-believe-in-but-i-m/) [Lauren Lola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-lola/) > [“The Agnostic is one who asserts 'what no one denies' that there are limits to the sphere of human intelligence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-stephen/the-agnostic-is-one-who-asserts-what-no-one-denies-that-there-are/) [Leslie Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-stephen/) [Browse all 492 Agnostic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agnostic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Carl did not want to believe. 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