---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We may be living at that moment, on the…"
description: "\"We may be living at that moment, on the cusp, when we go from being a species that feels a kind of loneliness in the cosmos to actually one sometime in..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/ann-druyan-13605_able_we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-c_2177252.jpg"
---

#  We may be living at that moment, on the cusp, when we go…

![“We may be living at that moment, on the cusp, when we go from being a species that feels a kind of loneliness in the cosmos to actually one sometime in the not too distant future being able to confirm the existence of other intelligent life.” quote by Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/ann-druyan-13605_able_we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-c_2177252.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/ann-druyan-13605_able_we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-c_2177252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/ann-druyan-13605_able_we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-c_2177252.jpg)

> “We may be living at that moment, on the cusp, when we go from being a species that feels a kind of loneliness in the cosmos to actually one sometime in the not too distant future being able to confirm the existence of other intelligent life.”

[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.

Humanity may soon transition from feeling cosmic loneliness to confirming extraterrestrial intelligence.

**In simple terms:** We might soon know we aren't alone.

Key Takeaway

Stay curious about the cosmos.

Themes

exploration loneliness future science

Mood

hopeful speculative

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- space research
- public outreach
- education programs
- philosophical debate

Key Concepts

Astrobiology existential meaning human destiny

Questions to Reflect On

- How would proof of alien life change society?
- Are we prepared for contact?

A Different Perspective

Confirmation may be ambiguous or delayed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) [Cusp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cusp/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Intelligent life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [He who is unconscious of the ties which connect him with every individual of his species feels no obligation to make sacrifices for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-robbins-curtis/he-who-is-unconscious-of-the-ties-which-connect-him-with-every/)

[Benjamin Robbins Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-robbins-curtis/)

> [“Comforting to know that we’re the species that feels the most pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/comforting-to-know-that-we-re-the-species-that-feels-the-most-pain/)

[Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/)

> [“This mysterious Mind," says Kwei Fung (Kei-ho), "is higher than the highest, deeper than the deepest, limitless in all directions. There is no centre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/this-mysterious-mind-says-kwei-fung-kei-ho-is-higher-than-the-highest/)

[Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/)

> [For me, consciousness is the most interesting unsolved problem of science, and, in fact, we may never know what it is about a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/for-me-consciousness-is-the-most-interesting-unsolved-problem-of/)

[Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/)

> [I believe that the science of chemistry alone almost proves the existence of an intelligent creator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-believe-that-the-science-of-chemistry-alone-almost-proves-the/)

[Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/)

> [We have only to see a few letters of the alphabet spelling our name in the sand to recognize at once the work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/we-have-only-to-see-a-few-letters-of-the-alphabet-spelling-our-name/)

[John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/)

> [Did you know, throughout the cosmos they found intelligent life forms that play to play? We are the only ones that play to win.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/did-you-know-throughout-the-cosmos-they-found-intelligent-life-forms/)

[Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/)

> [As George Bernard Shaw observed: "All great truths begin as blasphemies." Yet I have to say, the idea that there is intelligent life elsewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/as-george-bernard-shaw-observed-all-great-truths-begin-as-blasphemies/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [We live on the cusp of death Thinking it won't be us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macklemore/we-live-on-the-cusp-of-death-thinking-it-won-t-be-us/)

[Macklemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macklemore/)

> [I think that I was just on the cusp of the generation that was beginning to really challenge some of the assumptions about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-think-that-i-was-just-on-the-cusp-of-the-generation-that-was/)

[Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/)

> [I always want to be on the cusp of being in the best shape that I can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-always-want-to-be-on-the-cusp-of-being-in-the-best-shape-that-i-can/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [“I’m on the cusp of owning two cups.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-on-the-cusp-of-owning-two-cups/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [We are on the cusp of a marketing revolution. And it's being led by YOU.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-schaefer/we-are-on-the-cusp-of-a-marketing-revolution-and-it-s-being-led-by-you/)

[Mark Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-schaefer/)

> [We're on the cusp, on the brink, of enormous change in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-granholm/we-re-on-the-cusp-on-the-brink-of-enormous-change-in-this-country/)

[Jennifer Granholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-granholm/)

> [We're getting close to making our vision a reality. It's exciting to be on the cusp of opening our doors to the public. We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-coyne-iii/we-re-getting-close-to-making-our-vision-a-reality-it-s-exciting-to/)

James K. Coyne III

## 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/)

> [Carl did not want to believe. He wanted to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/carl-did-not-want-to-believe-he-wanted-to-know/)

[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/)

[Explore all 49 Ann Druyan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We may be living at that moment, on the cusp, when we go from being a species that feels a kind of loneliness in the cosmos to actually one sometime in the not too distant future being able to confirm the existence of other intelligent life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ann Druyan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-cusp-when-we-go-from-being-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-cusp-when-we-go-from-being-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/ann-druyan-13605_able_we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-c_2177252.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/ann-druyan-13605_able_we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-c_2177252.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/ann-druyan-13605_able_we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-c_2177252.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We may be living at that moment, on the cusp, when we go from being a species that feels a kind of…” — Ann Druyan",
                "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": "Ann Druyan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We may be living at that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-cusp-when-we-go-from-being-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/we-may-be-living-at-that-moment-on-the-cusp-when-we-go-from-being-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
