Atheism Quote by Carl Sagan
“An atheist is someone who is certain that God does not exist, someone who has compelling evidence against the existence of God. I know of no such compelling evidence. Because God can be relegated to remote times and places and to ultimate causes, we would have to know a great deal more about the universe than we do now to be sure that no such God exists. To be certain of the existence of God and to be certain of the nonexistence of God seem to me to be the confident extremes in a subject so riddled with doubt and uncertainty as to inspire very little confidence indeed.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Carl Sagan, 1990s public discussion on atheism
Absolute certainty about God's existence or nonexistence exceeds current evidence; humility is warranted.
In simple terms: We cannot be sure God exists or not.
Key Takeaway
Adopt humility and open‑minded inquiry.
Themes
skepticism
uncertainty
faith
science
philosophy
Mood
curious
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
contemplative
When to use this quote
- personal belief
- scientific research
- public discourse
Key Concepts
epistemology
probability
theology
Questions to Reflect On
- How should we handle claims of absolute certainty?
- What role does humility play in belief?
A Different Perspective
Some argue that faith can be rational despite lack of evidence.
![“[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion, why do you not believe in materialistic science, which has an unparalleled record of fulfilled prophecy? Consider, for example, eclipses.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/875/carl-sagan-160_belief_when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-a_25095.jpg)
