--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe that the extraordinary should…" description: "\"I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.\" — Carl Sagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/carl-sagan-160_believe_i-believe-that-the-extraordinary-should_2209292.jpg" --- # I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. But… ![“I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/carl-sagan-160_believe_i-believe-that-the-extraordinary-should_2209292.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/carl-sagan-160_believe_i-believe-that-the-extraordinary-should_2209292.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/carl-sagan-160_believe_i-believe-that-the-extraordinary-should_2209292.jpg) > “I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” [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. Extraordinary ideas deserve rigorous proof; belief must be matched by solid evidence. **In simple terms:** Big claims need strong proof. Key Takeaway Demand evidence for bold ideas. Themes science skepticism critical thinking Mood inquisitive analytical Type philosophical scientific When to use this quote - research proposals - policy debates - media reporting - personal decisions Key Concepts epistemology burden of proof Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would convince you of an extraordinary claim? - How do you balance openness with skepticism? A Different Perspective Extraordinary evidence is often hard to obtain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-extraordinary-1092467/) [Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary/) [Extraordinary Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-claims-1129971/) [Extraordinary Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-evidence-1875384/) [Extraordinary Pursued](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-pursued-4886166/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Pursued](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursued/) [Require Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/require-extraordinary-1355228/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) ## Related quotes > [Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/extraordinary-claims-require-extraordinary-evidence/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [What counts is not what sounds plausible, not what we would like to believe, not what one or two witnesses claim, but only what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/what-counts-is-not-what-sounds-plausible-not-what-we-would-like-to/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [For years I've been stressing with regard to UFOs that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/for-years-i-ve-been-stressing-with-regard-to-ufos-that-extraordinary/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/extraordinary-claims-demand-extraordinary-evidence/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“extraordinary claims require extraordinary investigation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/extraordinary-claims-require-extraordinary-investigation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and it is my job, my responsibility, as an astronomer to remind people that alien hypotheses should always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabetha-s-boyajian/extraordinary-claims-require-extraordinary-evidence-and-it-is-my-job/) [Tabetha S. Boyajian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabetha-s-boyajian/) > [For all I know we may be visited by a different extraterrestrial civilization every second Tuesday, but there's no support for this appealing idea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/for-all-i-know-we-may-be-visited-by-a-different-extraterrestrial/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Extraordinary observations require extraordinary evidence to make them believable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/extraordinary-observations-require-extraordinary-evidence-to-make/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [. . . we will never be prompted by the Holy Ghost to do something we cannot do. It may require extraordinary effort and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/we-will-never-be-prompted-by-the-holy-ghost-to-do-something-we-cannot/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) > [The demands of Jesus are difficult because they require us to do something extraordinary. At the same time He asks us to regard these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/the-demands-of-jesus-are-difficult-because-they-require-us-to-do/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [The demands of Jesus are difficult just because they require us to do something extraordinary. At the same time he asks us to regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/the-demands-of-jesus-are-difficult-just-because-they-require-us-to-do/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“never believe that you are anything less then extraordinary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiden-blake/never-believe-that-you-are-anything-less-then-extraordinary/) [Kaiden Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiden-blake/) > [Never believe extraordinary characters which you hear of people. Depend upon it, they are exaggerated. You do not see one man shoot a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/never-believe-extraordinary-characters-which-you-hear-of-people/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I don’t believe in extraordinary concatenations of coincidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-don-t-believe-in-extraordinary-concatenations-of-coincidence/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“I realize i do believe in people. In their strength to help each other, and to thrive in spite of the odds. I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-realize-i-do-believe-in-people-in-their-strength-to-help-each-other/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## 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 Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe that the extraordinary should be pursued. 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