--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On…" description: "\"“That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/carl-sagan-160_character-building_that-s-here-that-s-home-that-s-us-on-it_878157.jpg" --- # That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you… ![“That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and…” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/carl-sagan-160_character-building_that-s-here-that-s-home-that-s-us-on-it_878157.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/carl-sagan-160_character-building_that-s-here-that-s-home-that-s-us-on-it_878157.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/carl-sagan-160_character-building_that-s-here-that-s-home-that-s-us-on-it_878157.jpg) > ““That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known”” [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. Human existence is minuscule in the vast cosmos, reminding us of our shared fragility and responsibility to protect Earth. **In simple terms:** We are tiny on a tiny planet, sharing a common fate. Key Takeaway Treat Earth as a shared home to protect. Themes humility environment cosmic perspective Mood reflective humble Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - space exploration - environmental policy - education - global cooperation Key Concepts interconnectedness responsibility existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does the “pale blue dot” mean for your daily choices? - How can we balance planetary care with space exploration? A Different Perspective Some may argue that focusing on Earth limits ambition for space colonization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomy Humbling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy-humbling-331352/) [Character building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-building/) [Corrupt Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corrupt-politician/) [Couple In Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple-in-love/) [Human Conceits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-conceits-1025662/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mother and father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-and-father/) [Obscurity Vastness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscurity-vastness-331356/) [Pale blue dot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pale-blue-dot/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Vast Cosmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vast-cosmic-331355/) ## Related quotes > [“The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-earth-is-a-very-small-stage-in-a-vast-cosmic-arena-think-of-the-2/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ “We succeeded in taking that picture from \[deep space\], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-succeeded-in-taking-that-picture-from-deep-space-and-if-you-look-2/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/from-this-distant-vantage-point-the-earth-might-not-seem-of/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/look-again-at-that-dot-that-s-here-that-s-home-that-s-us-on-it/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-has-been-said-that-astronomy-is-a-humbling-and-character-building/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [There is perhaps no better a demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-is-perhaps-no-better-a-demonstration-of-the-folly-of-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-earth-is-the-only-world-known-so-far-to-harbor-life-there-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“The Earth is the only world known so far to harbour life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-earth-is-the-only-world-known-so-far-to-harbour-life-there-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-earth-is-a-very-small-stage-in-a-vast-cosmic-arena/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/our-planet-is-a-lonely-speck-in-the-great-enveloping-cosmic-dark-in/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In our obscurity - in all this vastness - there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-our-obscurity-in-all-this-vastness-there-is-no-hint-that-help-will/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [It's been said that astronomy is a humbling and, I might add, a character-building experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-s-been-said-that-astronomy-is-a-humbling-and-i-might-add-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“We succeeded in taking that picture from deep space, and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-succeeded-in-taking-that-picture-from-deep-space-and-if-you-look/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it’s different. Consider again that dot. That’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/from-this-distant-vantage-point-the-earth-might-not-seem-of-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [It does no harm to the romance of the sunset to know a little bit about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-does-no-harm-to-the-romance-of-the-sunset-to-know-a-little-bit/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## 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 Character building quotes > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/people-reveal-themselves-completely-only-when-they-are-thrown-out-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“The only measure of judging a human being is through that person’s character, because character is not determined by race, religion, gender or social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-only-measure-of-judging-a-human-being-is-through-that-person-s/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Never miss an opportunity to be truly and deeply humiliated! The shame will carve you down to an individual of exquisite layering, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/never-miss-an-opportunity-to-be-truly-and-deeply-humiliated-the-shame/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [Character contributes to beauty. It fortifies a woman as her youth fades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-bisset/character-contributes-to-beauty-it-fortifies-a-woman-as-her-youth/) [Jacqueline Bisset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-bisset/) > [Depth and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/depth-and-strength-of-a-human-character-are-defined-by-its-moral/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“More than Captain America your kids need Amelia Earhart – more than Ant Man, they need Abraham Lincoln - more than Green Arrow they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/more-than-captain-america-your-kids-need-amelia-earhart-more-than-ant/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [It's been said that astronomy is a humbling and, I might add, a character-building experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-s-been-said-that-astronomy-is-a-humbling-and-i-might-add-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“A relationship built on lies and trickery will not last; only truthfulness can uphold a relationship”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idowu-koyenikan/a-relationship-built-on-lies-and-trickery-will-not-last-only/) [idowu koyenikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idowu-koyenikan/) > [Poverty's potential for character building is far overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/poverty-s-potential-for-character-building-is-far-overrated/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [Highly educated young people are tutored, taught and monitored in all aspects of their lives, except the most important, which is character building. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/highly-educated-young-people-are-tutored-taught-and-monitored-in-all/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [Character building is one of my favourite things to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayvan-novak/character-building-is-one-of-my-favourite-things-to-do/) [Kayvan Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayvan-novak/) > [“The third gift is Courage. May you speak and act with confidence and use courage to follow your own path.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlene-costanzo/the-third-gift-is-courage-may-you-speak-and-act-with-confidence-and/) [Charlene Costanzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlene-costanzo/) > [“Let your children nourish their knack, for that knack shall one day provide them with the way to live with dignity and contentment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/let-your-children-nourish-their-knack-for-that-knack-shall-one-day/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“A lot can be determined by the choices we make, even if the action is initiated by self-preservation. Many ... no, most ... of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sullivan/a-lot-can-be-determined-by-the-choices-we-make-even-if-the-action-is/) [Michael J. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sullivan/) [Browse all 143 Character building quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-building/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. 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