Atoms Quote by Carl Sagan
“The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together. Information distilled over 4 billion years of biological evolution. Incidentally, all the organisms on the Earth are made essentially of that stuff. An eyedropper full of that liquid could be used to make a caterpillar or a petunia if only we knew how to put the components together.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Cosmos, 1980
Life’s beauty lies in complex organization of simple atoms, not the atoms themselves.
In simple terms: Complex structures create life’s wonder.
Key Takeaway
Appreciate the intricate design of living things.
Themes
biology
complexity
evolution
Mood
inspirational
educational
Type
scientific
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education
- science communication
- research
- artificial life
Key Concepts
systems theory
information theory
biochemistry
Questions to Reflect On
- How does understanding atomic assembly change our view of life?
- Can we replicate this complexity artificially?
A Different Perspective
Complexity can be overwhelming to grasp fully.
![“[ 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)
![“[Decoding the human genome sequence] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science. I believe that reading our blueprints, cataloguing our own instruction book, will be judged by history as more significant than even splitting the atom or…” quote by Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5c6/francis-collins-5281_atoms_decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-th_15604.jpg)
