--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live at a moment when our…" description: "\"We live at a moment when our relationships to each other, and to all other beings with whom we share this planet, are up for grabs.\" — Carl Sagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/carl-sagan-160_moments_we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationshi_1578657.jpg" --- # We live at a moment when our relationships to each other… ![“We live at a moment when our relationships to each other, and to all other beings with whom we share this planet, are up for grabs.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/carl-sagan-160_moments_we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationshi_1578657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/carl-sagan-160_moments_we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationshi_1578657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/carl-sagan-160_moments_we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationshi_1578657.jpg) > “We live at a moment when our relationships to each other, and to all other beings with whom we share this planet, are up for grabs.” [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 connections to each other and all life are fragile and must be consciously maintained; they are not guaranteed. **In simple terms:** Relationships with all beings are precarious. Key Takeaway Nurture and protect our interdependence. Themes interdependence environment responsibility ethics Mood concerned hopeful Type ethical motivational When to use this quote - community building - environmental activism - education - policy making Key Concepts Ecology systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What actions can strengthen our bonds with other beings? - How can we balance individual needs with planetary health? A Different Perspective People may prioritize self-interest over collective well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Our relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-relationship/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [What you eat affects you physically as well as other beings you share this planet with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/what-you-eat-affects-you-physically-as-well-as-other-beings-you-share/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Each moment of every one of my relationships serves as the secret path to the summit of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/each-moment-of-every-one-of-my-relationships-serves-as-the-secret/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [In the vastness of space and the immensity of time, it is my joy to share a planet and an epoch with Annie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-the-vastness-of-space-and-the-immensity-of-time-it-is-my-joy-to-2/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In the space of a moment, how relationships alter! Now everyone feels like a stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hqlinestumblr/in-the-space-of-a-moment-how-relationships-alter-now-everyone-feels/) HQLinesTumblr > [Life demands sacrifice and difficult decisions from us at every moment. Living does not mean passing through a void of nothingness but rather through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-demands-sacrifice-and-difficult-decisions-from-us-at-every/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“RELATIONSHIPS & THE INNER BEING The other is a mirror of our own face; the other is a mirror of our inner being. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-dhyan-giten/relationships-the-inner-being-the-other-is-a-mirror-of-our-own-face/) [Swami Dhyan Giten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-dhyan-giten/) > [It is when we try to grapple with another man's intimate need that we perceive how incomprehensible, wavering, and misty are the beings that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/it-is-when-we-try-to-grapple-with-another-man-s-intimate-need-that-we/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“We stand before a burning bush whenever other human beings share with us something of their relationship with God or something of the movements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-silf/we-stand-before-a-burning-bush-whenever-other-human-beings-share-with/) [Margaret Silf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-silf/) > [Human beings share the same common problems. A film can only be understood if it depicts these properly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-kurosawa/human-beings-share-the-same-common-problems-a-film-can-only-be/) [Akira Kurosawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-kurosawa/) > [“And perhaps the sexes are more closely related than we think, and the great renewal of the world will perhaps consist in man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/and-perhaps-the-sexes-are-more-closely-related-than-we-think-and-the/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Of course 'we humans' have a funny relationship with the beings with whom we share our planet. We eat them, we care for them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-gornik/of-course-we-humans-have-a-funny-relationship-with-the-beings-with/) [April Gornik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-gornik/) > [Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-we-all-share-this-planet-earth-we-have-to-learn-to-live-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We share this planet with many species. It is our responsibility to protect them, both for their sakes and our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-a-matson/we-share-this-planet-with-many-species-it-is-our-responsibility-to/) Pamela A. Matson > [We share this planet, our home, with millions of species. Justice and sustainability both demand that we do not use more resources than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/we-share-this-planet-our-home-with-millions-of-species-justice-and/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [“All human beings are my neighbors. We share the same planet. Ana Monnar”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-monnar/all-human-beings-are-my-neighbors-we-share-the-same-planet-ana-monnar/) [Ana Monnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-monnar/) ## 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 Moments quotes > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/) [Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [Don't even think for a moment that you are not going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/don-t-even-think-for-a-moment-that-you-are-not-going-to-die/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/) [Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/) > [Good manners are not bred in moments, but in years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/good-manners-are-not-bred-in-moments-but-in-years/) [Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/) [Browse all 20,399 Moments quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We live at a moment when our relationships to each other, and to all other beings with whom we share this planet, are up for grabs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Sagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationships-to-each-other-and-to-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Moments" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationships-to-each-other-and-to-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/carl-sagan-160_moments_we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationshi_1578657.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/carl-sagan-160_moments_we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationshi_1578657.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/carl-sagan-160_moments_we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationshi_1578657.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We live at a moment when our relationships to each other, and to all other beings with whom we share this…” — 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": "We live at a moment when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationships-to-each-other-and-to-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-at-a-moment-when-our-relationships-to-each-other-and-to-all/#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 } } ] } ```