---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But you reassure yourself that at least…"
description: "\"“But you reassure yourself that at least here they are safe from baleen whales and oil slicks and cocktail sauce.”\" — Carl Sagan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/carl-sagan-160_reassure_but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least_786861.jpg"
---

#  But you reassure yourself that at least here they are safe…

![“But you reassure yourself that at least here they are safe from baleen whales and oil slicks and cocktail sauce.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/carl-sagan-160_reassure_but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least_786861.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/carl-sagan-160_reassure_but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least_786861.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/carl-sagan-160_reassure_but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least_786861.jpg)

> ““But you reassure yourself that at least here they are safe from baleen whales and oil slicks and cocktail sauce.””

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote humorously points out that people feel safe from obvious dangers, yet remain oblivious to less obvious threats.

**In simple terms:** People think they’re safe from big dangers but ignore smaller ones.

Key Takeaway

Stay aware of hidden risks.

Themes

environment awareness humor

Mood

thoughtful lighthearted

Type

cautionary humorous

When to use this quote

- marine conservation
- oil spill prevention
- public education

Key Concepts

ecology risk perception

Questions to Reflect On

- What unseen dangers exist in your environment?
- How can you balance safety with vigilance?

A Different Perspective

Overconfidence can blind us to real hazards.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Reassure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reassure/) [Reassure Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reassure-safe-6052493/) [Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe/) [Safe Baleen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-baleen-6052494/) [Whales Oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whales-oil-6052495/)

## Related quotes

> [But I always reassure them that as far as my contractual rights can go, I will protect them and make sure that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/but-i-always-reassure-them-that-as-far-as-my-contractual-rights-can/)

[Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/)

> [“She’d been on the verge of flying out to see me--she’d practically booked a ticket to Pisa for the first flight out this morning--but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-henderson/she-d-been-on-the-verge-of-flying-out-to-see-me-she-d-practically/)

[Lauren Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-henderson/)

> [Today let me reassure you, God knows right where you are and He knows how to get you to where you need to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-osteen/today-let-me-reassure-you-god-knows-right-where-you-are-and-he-knows/)

[Victoria Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-osteen/)

> [Doubts can almost take over a little bit, but I've had the time to reflect now and take a moment and speak to people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-greenwood/doubts-can-almost-take-over-a-little-bit-but-i-ve-had-the-time-to/)

[Alex Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-greenwood/)

> [Whether you want to entertain or to provoke, to break hearts or reassure them, what you bring to your writing must consist of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-yglesias/whether-you-want-to-entertain-or-to-provoke-to-break-hearts-or/)

[Rafael Yglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-yglesias/)

> [“TRADITIONS REASSURE US THAT WE BELONG TOGETHER,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-garten/traditions-reassure-us-that-we-belong-together/)

[Ina Garten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-garten/)

> [“That's the mission of a father: to reassure and protect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-and-keith-desserich/that-s-the-mission-of-a-father-to-reassure-and-protect/)

[Brooke and Keith Desserich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-and-keith-desserich/)

> [“And he would put his arms around her and hold her, but he had no idea what to tell her. In his mind, Gregor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/and-he-would-put-his-arms-around-her-and-hold-her-but-he-had-no-idea/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“Do you think I'm evil?" "Don't be ridiculous." "You've been saying that a lot." "You've been ridiculous a lot. But you're not evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-f-kuang/do-you-think-i-m-evil-don-t-be-ridiculous-you-ve-been-saying-that-a/)

[R.F. Kuang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-f-kuang/)

> [I'm just trying to say that it should reassure us that the inevitable traumas of being human do end up producing some good. Otherwise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/i-m-just-trying-to-say-that-it-should-reassure-us-that-the-inevitable/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [Ladies have come up with all these expressions to reassure men. "Oh, honey, it's not the size of the ship, it's the motion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/ladies-have-come-up-with-all-these-expressions-to-reassure-men-oh/)

[Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/)

> [“No one knows what you have been through or what your pretty little eyes have seen, but I can reassure you ~ whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/no-one-knows-what-you-have-been-through-or-what-your-pretty-little/)

[Nikki Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/)

> [“Over and over I had to reassure her. “You hate me,” she would say. “Lori, I don’t hate you. I love you.” Finally it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-schiller/over-and-over-i-had-to-reassure-her-you-hate-me-she-would-say-lori-i/)

[Lori Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-schiller/)

> [My function is not to reassure people. I want to make them uncomfortable. To send them out of the place arguing and talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-maccoll/my-function-is-not-to-reassure-people-i-want-to-make-them/)

[Ewan MacColl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-maccoll/)

> [I always think it's far more admirable to confuse people than it is to reassure them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-always-think-it-s-far-more-admirable-to-confuse-people-than-it-is/)

[Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/)

## More by Carl Sagan

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“Telepathy’ literally means to feel at a distance, just as ‘telephone’ is to hear at a distance and ‘television’ is to see at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/telepathy-literally-means-to-feel-at-a-distance-just-as-telephone-is/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“On the scale of worlds—to say nothing of stars or galaxies—humans are inconsequential, a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/on-the-scale-of-worlds-to-say-nothing-of-stars-or-galaxies-humans-are/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, we have established a presence there, we have fulfilled a century of dreams!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-our-time-we-have-sifted-the-sands-of-mars-we-have-established-a/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors. The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-permit-us-to-voyage-through-time-to-tap-the-wisdom-of-our/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-on-a-hunk-of-rock-and-metal-that-circles-a-humdrum-star-that/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/any-sufficiently-crisp-question-can-be-answered-by-a-single-binary/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/humans-who-enslave-castrate-experiment-on-and-fillet-other-animals/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Every star may be a sun to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-star-may-be-a-sun-to-someone/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

[Explore all 1,043 Carl Sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

## More Reassure quotes

> [But I always reassure them that as far as my contractual rights can go, I will protect them and make sure that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/but-i-always-reassure-them-that-as-far-as-my-contractual-rights-can/)

[Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/)

> [My function is not to reassure people. I want to make them uncomfortable. To send them out of the place arguing and talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-maccoll/my-function-is-not-to-reassure-people-i-want-to-make-them/)

[Ewan MacColl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-maccoll/)

> [“Over and over I had to reassure her. “You hate me,” she would say. “Lori, I don’t hate you. I love you.” Finally it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-schiller/over-and-over-i-had-to-reassure-her-you-hate-me-she-would-say-lori-i/)

[Lori Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-schiller/)

> [“No one knows what you have been through or what your pretty little eyes have seen, but I can reassure you ~ whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/no-one-knows-what-you-have-been-through-or-what-your-pretty-little/)

[Nikki Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/)

> [Ladies have come up with all these expressions to reassure men. "Oh, honey, it's not the size of the ship, it's the motion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/ladies-have-come-up-with-all-these-expressions-to-reassure-men-oh/)

[Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/)

> [I'm just trying to say that it should reassure us that the inevitable traumas of being human do end up producing some good. Otherwise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/i-m-just-trying-to-say-that-it-should-reassure-us-that-the-inevitable/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“Do you think I'm evil?" "Don't be ridiculous." "You've been saying that a lot." "You've been ridiculous a lot. But you're not evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-f-kuang/do-you-think-i-m-evil-don-t-be-ridiculous-you-ve-been-saying-that-a/)

[R.F. Kuang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-f-kuang/)

> [“And he would put his arms around her and hold her, but he had no idea what to tell her. In his mind, Gregor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/and-he-would-put-his-arms-around-her-and-hold-her-but-he-had-no-idea/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“That's the mission of a father: to reassure and protect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-and-keith-desserich/that-s-the-mission-of-a-father-to-reassure-and-protect/)

[Brooke and Keith Desserich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-and-keith-desserich/)

> [“TRADITIONS REASSURE US THAT WE BELONG TOGETHER,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-garten/traditions-reassure-us-that-we-belong-together/)

[Ina Garten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-garten/)

> [Whether you want to entertain or to provoke, to break hearts or reassure them, what you bring to your writing must consist of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-yglesias/whether-you-want-to-entertain-or-to-provoke-to-break-hearts-or/)

[Rafael Yglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-yglesias/)

> [Doubts can almost take over a little bit, but I've had the time to reflect now and take a moment and speak to people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-greenwood/doubts-can-almost-take-over-a-little-bit-but-i-ve-had-the-time-to/)

[Alex Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-greenwood/)

> [Today let me reassure you, God knows right where you are and He knows how to get you to where you need to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-osteen/today-let-me-reassure-you-god-knows-right-where-you-are-and-he-knows/)

[Victoria Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-osteen/)

> [“She’d been on the verge of flying out to see me--she’d practically booked a ticket to Pisa for the first flight out this morning--but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-henderson/she-d-been-on-the-verge-of-flying-out-to-see-me-she-d-practically/)

[Lauren Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-henderson/)

> [I always think it's far more admirable to confuse people than it is to reassure them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/i-always-think-it-s-far-more-admirable-to-confuse-people-than-it-is/)

[Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/)

[Browse all 51 Reassure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reassure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But you reassure yourself that at least here they are safe from baleen whales and oil slicks and cocktail sauce.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carl Sagan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least-here-they-are-safe-from/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Reassure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least-here-they-are-safe-from/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/carl-sagan-160_reassure_but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least_786861.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/carl-sagan-160_reassure_but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least_786861.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/carl-sagan-160_reassure_but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least_786861.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But you reassure yourself that at least here they are safe from baleen whales and oil slicks and cocktail…” — Carl Sagan",
                "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": "Carl Sagan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But you reassure yourself that at...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least-here-they-are-safe-from/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/but-you-reassure-yourself-that-at-least-here-they-are-safe-from/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
