--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Occasionally, I get a letter from someone…" description: "\"“Occasionally, I get a letter from someone who is in “contact” with extraterrestrials. I am invited to “ask them anything.” And so over the years I’ve ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/carl-sagan-160_aliens_occasionally-i-get-a-letter-from-someone_2345982.jpg" --- # Occasionally, I get a letter from someone who is in… ![“Occasionally, I get a letter from someone who is in “contact” with extraterrestrials. I am invited to “ask them anything.” And so over the years I’ve prepared a little list of questions. The extraterrestrials are very advanced, remember. So I ask things like, “Please provide a short proof of…” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/carl-sagan-160_aliens_occasionally-i-get-a-letter-from-someone_2345982.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/carl-sagan-160_aliens_occasionally-i-get-a-letter-from-someone_2345982.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49a/carl-sagan-160_aliens_occasionally-i-get-a-letter-from-someone_2345982.jpg) > ““Occasionally, I get a letter from someone who is in “contact” with extraterrestrials. I am invited to “ask them anything.” And so over the years I’ve prepared a little list of questions. The extraterrestrials are very advanced, remember. So I ask things like, “Please provide a short proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem.” Or the Goldbach Conjecture. And then I have to explain what these are, because extraterrestrials will not call it Fermat’s Last Theorem. So I write out the simple equation with the exponents. I never get an answer. On the other hand, if I ask something like “Should we be good?” I almost always get an answer.”” [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 speaker notes that extraterrestrials respond to moral questions but not to complex mathematical problems, highlighting a gap between ethical and technical communication. **In simple terms:** Aliens answer moral queries, not math problems. Key Takeaway Focus on ethical dialogue with unknown intelligences. Themes communication ethics unknown intelligence science humor Mood curious playful thoughtful Type anecdotal philosophical humorous When to use this quote - asking moral questions - science outreach - public speaking - writing speculative fiction Key Concepts philosophy of mind epistemology SETI Questions to Reflect On - What does this suggest about the nature of intelligence? - How should we frame questions to unknown beings? A Different Perspective Extraterrestrials may lack interest or context for human mathematical constructs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Contact Extraterrestrials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contact-extraterrestrials-5695037/) [Explain Extraterrestrials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain-extraterrestrials-5695038/) [Extraterrestrials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraterrestrials/) [Extraterrestrials Fermat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraterrestrials-fermat-5695035/) [Fermat Theorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fermat-theorem-440655/) [Fermat-s-last-theorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fermat-s-last-theorem-63231/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Questions Extraterrestrials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions-extraterrestrials-5695036/) [Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skepticism/) [Ufos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ufos/) ## Related quotes > [“When people asked hilbert why he didn't prove Fermat's Last Theorem and win the Wolfskehl Prize, he said, "Why should I kill the goose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-bowman-reid/when-people-asked-hilbert-why-he-didn-t-prove-fermat-s-last-theorem/) [Constance Bowman Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-bowman-reid/) > [“I carried this problem around in my head basically the whole time. 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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. 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