---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am often amazed at how much more…"
description: "\"I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students.\" — Ca..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/carl-sagan-160_amazed_i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capab_1892068.jpg"
---

#  I am often amazed at how much more capability and…

![“I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/carl-sagan-160_amazed_i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capab_1892068.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/carl-sagan-160_amazed_i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capab_1892068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/carl-sagan-160_amazed_i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capab_1892068.jpg)

> “I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students.”

[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.

Young children often display more curiosity and drive for science than older students.

**In simple terms:** Kids love science more than college kids.

Key Takeaway

Encourage youthful curiosity in education.

Themes

education science curiosity generational differences

Mood

inspired reflective

Type

observational motivational

When to use this quote

- classroom teaching
- science outreach
- mentoring programs

Key Concepts

developmental psychology motivation learning theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How can schools nurture scientific enthusiasm at all ages?
- What barriers reduce college students' scientific drive?

A Different Perspective

Older students may lack time or motivation despite experience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [College student](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-student/) [College students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-students/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Elementary school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-school/) [Enthusiasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiasm/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Youngsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youngsters/)

## Related quotes

> [Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-kid-starts-out-as-a-natural-born-scientist-and-then-we-beat-it/)

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

> [Neurohumanities offers a way to tap the popular enthusiasm for science and, in part, gin up more funding for humanities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/neurohumanities-offers-a-way-to-tap-the-popular-enthusiasm-for/)

[Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/)

> [When high school students ask to spend their afternoons and weekends in my laboratory, I am amazed: I didn't develop that kind of enthusiasm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-e-varmus/when-high-school-students-ask-to-spend-their-afternoons-and-weekends/)

[Harold E. Varmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-e-varmus/)

> [I have found far greater enthusiasm for science in America than here in Britain. There is more enthusiasm for everything in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-have-found-far-greater-enthusiasm-for-science-in-america-than-here/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [In the sixties, in the middle sixties, suddenly comics became this hip thing, and college students and hippies were reading them. So I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trina-robbins/in-the-sixties-in-the-middle-sixties-suddenly-comics-became-this-hip/)

[Trina Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trina-robbins/)

> [“Lots of people wrote to the magazine to say that Marilyn vos Savant was wrong, even when she explained very carefully why she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/lots-of-people-wrote-to-the-magazine-to-say-that-marilyn-vos-savant/)

[Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/)

> [Americans in particular are myopic. They're not traveling as much. When you were a college student, the next thing you would do on graduation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-taymor/americans-in-particular-are-myopic-they-re-not-traveling-as-much-when/)

[Julie Taymor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-taymor/)

> [“The other component was to build cadres through political education. Republicans sought out wealthy donors to set up foundations and think tanks as safe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lilla/the-other-component-was-to-build-cadres-through-political-education/)

[Mark Lilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lilla/)

> [Usually I avoided college students, whom I considered brutal, wrapped up in themselves, particularly in their youth, in which they found material for drama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/usually-i-avoided-college-students-whom-i-considered-brutal-wrapped/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Novelist Sinclair Lewis was supposed to deliver an hour-long lecture to a group of college students who planned to be writers. Lewis opened his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-prichard/novelist-sinclair-lewis-was-supposed-to-deliver-an-hour-long-lecture/)

Peter Prichard

> [There's definitely a world view among college students that appreciates the need to act in the international community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-shaheen/there-s-definitely-a-world-view-among-college-students-that/)

[Jeanne Shaheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-shaheen/)

> [I was pretty poor for a long time. Not \*poor\* poor. But college student poor. I lived for most of my adult life living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-was-pretty-poor-for-a-long-time-not-poor-poor-but-college-student/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“In a laboratory study, a researcher from Virginia Commonwealth University observed college students during a three-hour study session using video cameras and eye trackers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gazzaley/in-a-laboratory-study-a-researcher-from-virginia-commonwealth/)

[Adam Gazzaley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gazzaley/)

> [“Only one-third of college students from the bottom quarter of households graduate, while two-thirds of students from the top quarter do. Both ability and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-temin/only-one-third-of-college-students-from-the-bottom-quarter-of/)

Peter Temin

> [I've always been a late bloomer in some ways, and extremely precocious in other ways. When I was twenty I was living in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-daum/i-ve-always-been-a-late-bloomer-in-some-ways-and-extremely-precocious/)

[Meghan Daum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-daum/)

## 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 Amazed quotes

> [You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/you-will-never-cease-to-be-the-most-amazed-person-on-earth-at-what/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [You'd be amazed at pain and tears a single smile hides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-vasquez/you-d-be-amazed-at-pain-and-tears-a-single-smile-hides/)

[Christian Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-vasquez/)

> [“I am amazed at how being with him changes everything for me, socially speaking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/i-am-amazed-at-how-being-with-him-changes-everything-for-me-socially/)

[Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/)

> [I'm endlessly amazed by what people are capable of, and incapable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-m-endlessly-amazed-by-what-people-are-capable-of-and-incapable-of/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [Souls love. That’s what souls do. Egos don’t, but souls do. Become a soul, look around, and you’ll be amazed-all the beings around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/souls-love-that-s-what-souls-do-egos-don-t-but-souls-do-become-a-soul/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [Contrary to a common myth, while there are general guidelines, there is no exact 'right' way to run ... I am amazed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grete-waitz/contrary-to-a-common-myth-while-there-are-general-guidelines-there-is/)

[Grete Waitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grete-waitz/)

> [I'm always amazed by writers who tell me they plan everything at the beginning. I feel their writing days must be very bland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/i-m-always-amazed-by-writers-who-tell-me-they-plan-everything-at-the/)

[Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/)

> [What I am telling you is that you do not need to know to love, and it is right that you feel it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-am-telling-you-is-that-you-do-not-need-to-know-to-love-and-it/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [My father was truly a great man. I remember one day putting my feet in my father's shoes. I was amazed at the size.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/my-father-was-truly-a-great-man-i-remember-one-day-putting-my-feet-in/)

[Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/)

> [J. Budziszewski is perhaps the clearest and most eloquent natural lawyer writing today. When reading his works I often find myself amazed by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-j-beckwith/j-budziszewski-is-perhaps-the-clearest-and-most-eloquent-natural/)

[Francis J. Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-j-beckwith/)

> [I've never ceased to be amazed at the survival skills of poor children. I've learned how much children can actually do for themselves if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-pearson/i-ve-never-ceased-to-be-amazed-at-the-survival-skills-of-poor/)

Landon Pearson

> [Mystical experiences (unlike scientific conclusions) cannot be communicated from one person to another. Philosophers and little children are continually amazed that we, unaccountably, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/mystical-experiences-unlike-scientific-conclusions-cannot-be/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host but the two or three people of whom I asked his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/as-soon-as-i-arrived-i-made-an-attempt-to-find-my-host-but-the-two-or/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [I don't know why, but I'm continually amazed to think that two and a half billion of us around the world are connected to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kovacs/i-don-t-know-why-but-i-m-continually-amazed-to-think-that-two-and-a/)

[Gary Kovacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kovacs/)

> [The key to contentment is to consider. Consider who you are and be satisfied with that. Consider what you have and be satisfied with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luci-swindoll/the-key-to-contentment-is-to-consider-consider-who-you-are-and-be/)

[Luci Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luci-swindoll/)

Browse all 776 Amazed quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carl Sagan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capability-and-enthusiasm-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Amazed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capability-and-enthusiasm-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/carl-sagan-160_amazed_i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capab_1892068.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/carl-sagan-160_amazed_i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capab_1892068.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/carl-sagan-160_amazed_i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capab_1892068.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school…” — 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": "I am often amazed at how...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capability-and-enthusiasm-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-am-often-amazed-at-how-much-more-capability-and-enthusiasm-for/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
