---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those at too great a distance may, I am…"
description: "\"Those at too great a distance may, I am well are, mistake ignorance for perspective.\" — Carl Sagan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/carl-sagan-160_carl-sagan_those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-w_2952274.jpg"
---

#  Those at too great a distance may, I am well are, mistake…

![“Those at too great a distance may, I am well are, mistake ignorance for perspective.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/carl-sagan-160_carl-sagan_those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-w_2952274.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/carl-sagan-160_carl-sagan_those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-w_2952274.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/carl-sagan-160_carl-sagan_those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-w_2952274.jpg)

> “Those at too great a distance may, I am well are, mistake ignorance for perspective.”

[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.

Distance can blur understanding, leading people to confuse lack of knowledge with broader insight.

**In simple terms:** Far away can mean ignorant, not wise.

Key Takeaway

Seek true perspective, not distance.

Themes

knowledge perspective misunderstanding

Mood

inquisitive analytical

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- online debates
- cross‑cultural communication
- scientific literacy
- political discourse

Key Concepts

epistemology cognitive bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you test your assumptions?
- What steps broaden true perspective?

A Different Perspective

Distance can also bring clarity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Carl-sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carl-sagan-2/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/)

## Related quotes

> [There are many instances in science, where those closest to the intricacies of the subject have a more highly developed sense of its intractability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-are-many-instances-in-science-where-those-closest-to-the/)

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

> [To fear what you do not understand is to mistake ignorance for safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginn-hale/to-fear-what-you-do-not-understand-is-to-mistake-ignorance-for-safety/)

[Ginn Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginn-hale/)

> [“Para criaturas pequenas como nós, a vastidão só é suportável através do amor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/para-criaturas-pequenas-como-n-s-a-vastid-o-s-suport-vel-atrav-s-do/)

[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/)

> [“It does no harm to the romance of the sunset to know a little about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-does-no-harm-to-the-romance-of-the-sunset-to-know-a-little-about-it/)

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

> [“Billions of years from now our sun, then a distended red giant star, will have reduced Earth to a charred cinder. But the Voyager…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/billions-of-years-from-now-our-sun-then-a-distended-red-giant-star/)

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

> [“Can you be sure that others have not come before you and destroyed the pristine state of the native myth? Can you be sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/can-you-be-sure-that-others-have-not-come-before-you-and-destroyed/)

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

> [“I don't think science is hard to teach because humans aren't ready for it, or because it arose only through a fluke, or because,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-don-t-think-science-is-hard-to-teach-because-humans-aren-t-ready/)

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

> [“The scope and audacity of John Kennedy’s May 25, 1961, message to a joint session of Congress on “Urgent National Needs”—the speech that launched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-scope-and-audacity-of-john-kennedy-s-may-25-1961-message-to-a/)

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

> [“Planetary exploration satisfies our inclination for great enterprises and wanderings and quests that has been with us since our days as hunters and gatherers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/planetary-exploration-satisfies-our-inclination-for-great-enterprises/)

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

> [“I promise to question everything my leaders tell me. I promise to use my critical faculties. I promise to develop my independence of thought.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-promise-to-question-everything-my-leaders-tell-me-i-promise-to-use/)

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

> [“We are alive and we resonate with idea of life elsewhere, but only careful accumulation and assessment of the evidence can tell us whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-alive-and-we-resonate-with-idea-of-life-elsewhere-but-only/)

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

> [“Just as there are those who accept every UFO report at face value, there are also those who dismiss the idea of alien visitation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/just-as-there-are-those-who-accept-every-ufo-report-at-face-value/)

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

> [“One consequence of this train of argument is that, even if civilizations commonly arise on planets throughout the Galaxy, few of them will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/one-consequence-of-this-train-of-argument-is-that-even-if/)

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

> [“Every now and then, I'm lucky enough to teach a kindergarten or first-grade class. Many of these children are natural-born scientists - although heavy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-now-and-then-i-m-lucky-enough-to-teach-a-kindergarten-or-first-2/)

[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 Carl-sagan quotes

> [“My main reason for scepticism about the Huxley/Sagan theory is that the human brain is demonstrably eager to see faces in random patterns, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/my-main-reason-for-scepticism-about-the-huxley-sagan-theory-is-that/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“Para criaturas pequenas como nós, a vastidão só é suportável através do amor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/para-criaturas-pequenas-como-n-s-a-vastid-o-s-suport-vel-atrav-s-do/)

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

> [“One consequence of this train of argument is that, even if civilizations commonly arise on planets throughout the Galaxy, few of them will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/one-consequence-of-this-train-of-argument-is-that-even-if/)

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

> [“CARL SAGAN SAID that if you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. When he says “from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-yoon/carl-sagan-said-that-if-you-want-to-make-an-apple-pie-from-scratch/)

[Nicola Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-yoon/)

> [“Just as there are those who accept every UFO report at face value, there are also those who dismiss the idea of alien visitation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/just-as-there-are-those-who-accept-every-ufo-report-at-face-value/)

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

> [“We are alive and we resonate with idea of life elsewhere, but only careful accumulation and assessment of the evidence can tell us whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-alive-and-we-resonate-with-idea-of-life-elsewhere-but-only/)

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

> [“I promise to question everything my leaders tell me. I promise to use my critical faculties. I promise to develop my independence of thought.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-promise-to-question-everything-my-leaders-tell-me-i-promise-to-use/)

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

> [“Planetary exploration satisfies our inclination for great enterprises and wanderings and quests that has been with us since our days as hunters and gatherers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/planetary-exploration-satisfies-our-inclination-for-great-enterprises/)

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

> [“The scope and audacity of John Kennedy’s May 25, 1961, message to a joint session of Congress on “Urgent National Needs”—the speech that launched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-scope-and-audacity-of-john-kennedy-s-may-25-1961-message-to-a/)

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

> [“I don't think science is hard to teach because humans aren't ready for it, or because it arose only through a fluke, or because,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/i-don-t-think-science-is-hard-to-teach-because-humans-aren-t-ready/)

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

> [“Can you be sure that others have not come before you and destroyed the pristine state of the native myth? Can you be sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/can-you-be-sure-that-others-have-not-come-before-you-and-destroyed/)

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

> [“Billions of years from now our sun, then a distended red giant star, will have reduced Earth to a charred cinder. But the Voyager…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/billions-of-years-from-now-our-sun-then-a-distended-red-giant-star/)

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

> [“When my husband died, because he was so famous and known for not being a believer, many people would come up to me-it still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/when-my-husband-died-because-he-was-so-famous-and-known-for-not-being/)

[Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/)

> [“It does no harm to the romance of the sunset to know a little about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-does-no-harm-to-the-romance-of-the-sunset-to-know-a-little-about-it/)

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

> [“Carl Sagan said we are all made of stardust. She was made of book dust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-guillebeau/carl-sagan-said-we-are-all-made-of-stardust-she-was-made-of-book-dust/)

Michael Guillebeau

[Browse all 18 Carl-sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carl-sagan-2/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Those at too great a distance may, I am well are, mistake ignorance for perspective.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carl Sagan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-well-are-mistake-ignorance-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Carl-sagan"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-well-are-mistake-ignorance-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/carl-sagan-160_carl-sagan_those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-w_2952274.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/carl-sagan-160_carl-sagan_those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-w_2952274.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/carl-sagan-160_carl-sagan_those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-w_2952274.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Those at too great a distance may, I am well are, mistake ignorance for perspective.” — 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": "Those at too great a distance...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-well-are-mistake-ignorance-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/those-at-too-great-a-distance-may-i-am-well-are-mistake-ignorance-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
