--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our species needs, and deserves, a…" description: "\"Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.\" — Carl Sagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/carl-sagan-160_awake_our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizen_1222002.jpg" --- # Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds… ![“Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/carl-sagan-160_awake_our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizen_1222002.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/carl-sagan-160_awake_our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizen_1222002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/carl-sagan-160_awake_our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizen_1222002.jpg) > “Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.” [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. A well‑informed citizenry with critical thinking is essential for a healthy society. **In simple terms:** People need basic knowledge and alert minds. Key Takeaway Promote education and critical thinking. Themes education citizenry critical thinking science literacy Mood concerned hopeful Type inspirational educational When to use this quote - school curricula - public debates - media consumption - community workshops Key Concepts Democracy rationalism public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can we improve critical thinking in everyday life? - What barriers prevent people from understanding the world? A Different Perspective Access to quality education is uneven; not all societies prioritize it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awake/) [Citizenry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizenry/) [Citizenry Minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizenry-minds-3745704/) [Deserves Citizenry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deserves-citizenry-3745703/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Species Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-needs-331699/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Understanding World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-world/) [Wide awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wide-awake/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-a-species-that-needs-and-wants-to-understand-who-we-are-sheep/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-a-species-that-needs-and-wants-to-understand-who-we-are-sheep-2/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [ “\[...\] science carries us towards an understanding of how the world is, rather than how we would wish it to be \[...\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-carries-us-towards-an-understanding-of-how-the-world-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Because science carries us toward an understanding of how the world is, rather than how we would wish it to be, its findings may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/because-science-carries-us-toward-an-understanding-of-how-the-world/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We go about our daily lives understanding almost nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-go-about-our-daily-lives-understanding-almost-nothing-of-the-world/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Books, purchasable at low cost, permit us to interrogate the past with high accuracy; to tap the wisdom of our species; to understand the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-purchasable-at-low-cost-permit-us-to-interrogate-the-past-with/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Books are key to understanding the world and participating in a democratic society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-are-key-to-understanding-the-world-and-participating-in-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [From early childhood, I was interested in understanding how the world worked, and assumed I would be some kind of physical scientist or chemist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/from-early-childhood-i-was-interested-in-understanding-how-the-world/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) > [Literature provides us with experiences it would not be wise or possible to introduce into our own world and thus enlarges our understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rosenblatt/literature-provides-us-with-experiences-it-would-not-be-wise-or/) [Louise Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rosenblatt/) > [I wish we could see understanding the First World War as a European issue, or even a global one, and not a nationalistic one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/i-wish-we-could-see-understanding-the-first-world-war-as-a-european/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [“As your perspective of the world increases not only is the pain it inflicts on you less but also its meaning. Understanding the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/as-your-perspective-of-the-world-increases-not-only-is-the-pain-it/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [A worldview is simply someone's relatively organized understanding of what the world is actually like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-koukl/a-worldview-is-simply-someone-s-relatively-organized-understanding-of/) [Greg Koukl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-koukl/) > [The proper route to an understanding of the world is an examination of our errors about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/the-proper-route-to-an-understanding-of-the-world-is-an-examination/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Architecture is about the understanding of the world and turning it into a more meaningful and humane place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juhani-pallasmaa/architecture-is-about-the-understanding-of-the-world-and-turning-it/) [Juhani Pallasmaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juhani-pallasmaa/) ## 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 Awake quotes > [“I am awake. I know what you took. I am coming for you. Vengeance is mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-burks/i-am-awake-i-know-what-you-took-i-am-coming-for-you-vengeance-is-mine/) [Robin Burks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-burks/) > [Reagan was sitting up at Cath's desk when Cath woke up. "Are you awake?" "Have you been watching me sleep?" "Yes, Bella. Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/reagan-was-sitting-up-at-cath-s-desk-when-cath-woke-up-are-you-awake/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Are you awake?” “Have you been watching me sleep?” “Yes, Bella. Are you awake?” “No.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/are-you-awake-have-you-been-watching-me-sleep-yes-bella-are-you-awake/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/have-courage-for-the-great-sorrows-of-life-and-patience-for-the-small/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the Messiah?" "No," answered Buddha. "Then are you a healer?" "No," Buddha replied. "Then are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/one-of-his-students-asked-buddha-are-you-the-messiah-no-answered/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [Hopes are dreams of those who are awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hopes-are-dreams-of-those-who-are-awake/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If your heart isn't yet illumined Be awake always, be a seeker of the heart, Be at war continually with your carnal soul. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/if-your-heart-isn-t-yet-illumined-be-awake-always-be-a-seeker-of-the/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Wherever I went I felt like the last person awake in a room full of sleepers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/wherever-i-went-i-felt-like-the-last-person-awake-in-a-room-full-of/) [Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/) > [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/) [Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/) > [As your awareness of the riches available to you in your everyday life grows, you are on the way to becoming the laughing Buddha.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/as-your-awareness-of-the-riches-available-to-you-in-your-everyday/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“Think of it this way, Mara. We don’t have the power to make the sun rise, but we can choose to be awake when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-garlough-brown/think-of-it-this-way-mara-we-don-t-have-the-power-to-make-the-sun/) [Sharon Garlough Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-garlough-brown/) > [“The owl,” he was saying, “is one of the most curious creatures. 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Are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/shall-we-keep-men-in-a-fool-s-paradise-shall-we-lull-them-into-soft/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) [Browse all 1,663 Awake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awake/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Sagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizenry-with-minds-wide-awake-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awake" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizenry-with-minds-wide-awake-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/carl-sagan-160_awake_our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizen_1222002.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/carl-sagan-160_awake_our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizen_1222002.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/carl-sagan-160_awake_our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizen_1222002.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the…” — 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": "Our species needs, and deserves, a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizenry-with-minds-wide-awake-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/our-species-needs-and-deserves-a-citizenry-with-minds-wide-awake-and/#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 } } ] } ```