--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The time has come for us to admit our…" description: "\"“The time has come for us to admit our insignificance by making discoveries in the infinite unexplored cosmos. Only then shall we realize that we are n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/erich-von-daniken-41400_astronomy_the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-in_3174835.jpg" --- # The time has come for us to admit our insignificance by… ![“The time has come for us to admit our insignificance by making discoveries in the infinite unexplored cosmos. Only then shall we realize that we are nothing but ants in the vast state of the universe. And yet our future and our opportunities lie in the universe, where gods promised they would.” quote by Erich von Däniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/erich-von-daniken-41400_astronomy_the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-in_3174835.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/erich-von-daniken-41400_astronomy_the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-in_3174835.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/erich-von-daniken-41400_astronomy_the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-in_3174835.jpg) > ““The time has come for us to admit our insignificance by making discoveries in the infinite unexplored cosmos. Only then shall we realize that we are nothing but ants in the vast state of the universe. And yet our future and our opportunities lie in the universe, where gods promised they would.”” [Erich von Däniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human insignificance is highlighted by viewing ourselves as tiny in the vast cosmos, yet this perspective fuels curiosity and future opportunities. **In simple terms:** We are tiny, but curiosity drives us forward. Key Takeaway Embrace humility, pursue exploration. Themes humility exploration existential future Mood awe inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - space research - philosophical reflection - technological ambition Key Concepts cosmic perspective anthropic principle scientific curiosity Questions to Reflect On - How does feeling small affect ambition? - What responsibilities come with cosmic knowledge? A Different Perspective Human focus may limit our perception of cosmic potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ants Vast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ants-vast-5792949/) [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Cosmos Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos-shall-5792950/) [Discoveries Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discoveries-infinite-5792947/) [Reality of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-of-life/) [Realize Ants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize-ants-4587323/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unexplored Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexplored-cosmos-5792948/) ## Related quotes > [“Interest in academic system-building is dead; however, greater are the efforts by which every educated person seeks to draw the guiding strand of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-kireyevsky/interest-in-academic-system-building-is-dead-however-greater-are-the/) [Ivan Kireyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-kireyevsky/) > [I think a pretty good modus operandi is to believe that everything we know is wrong. The stomach will be the key to depression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcclanahan/i-think-a-pretty-good-modus-operandi-is-to-believe-that-everything-we/) [Scott McClanahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcclanahan/) > [“It's life's failure and its deficiencies that make someone a daydreamer. I don't understand why prophets and philosophers didn't see the significance in that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shokoofeh-azar/it-s-life-s-failure-and-its-deficiencies-that-make-someone-a/) [Shokoofeh Azar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shokoofeh-azar/) > [“FROM ELEANOR GILLON I finished Racing with the Rain this morning and WOW, what a great book. It kept me wondering what was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-gillon/from-eleanor-gillon-i-finished-racing-with-the-rain-this-morning-and/) [Eleanor Gillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-gillon/) > [“Every great achiever is inspired by a great mentor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-great-achiever-is-inspired-by-a-great-mentor/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [The mere reality of life would be inconceivably poor without the charm of fancy, which brings in its bosom, no doubt, as many vain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-von-humboldt/the-mere-reality-of-life-would-be-inconceivably-poor-without-the/) [Wilhelm von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-von-humboldt/) > [“The most painful thing is losing Someone who was always beside you...!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kawthar-koukou/the-most-painful-thing-is-losing-someone-who-was-always-beside-you/) [Kawthar Koukou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kawthar-koukou/) > [“When your head is held high, society pry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditi-vyas/when-your-head-is-held-high-society-pry/) [Aditi Vyas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditi-vyas/) > [“Don't save your best for when you think the material calls for it. Always bring your full potential to every take, and be on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/don-t-save-your-best-for-when-you-think-the-material-calls-for-it/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [“Thought of the night\*\*\* True fact about humans with true and soft heart...that those who cry while watching someone totaly different in pain...or feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gurusharan-singh-thoughtofthenight-blogspot-in/thought-of-the-night-true-fact-about-humans-with-true-and-soft-heart/) [Gurusharan Singh thoughtofthenight.blogspot.in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gurusharan-singh-thoughtofthenight-blogspot-in/) > [“Thanks will be a worthless word until a person tells it from heart. When a person thanks someone with full heart then the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-aziz/thanks-will-be-a-worthless-word-until-a-person-tells-it-from-heart/) [Salman Aziz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-aziz/) > [“What is held real is based upon personal beliefs that drive perception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/what-is-held-real-is-based-upon-personal-beliefs-that-drive-perception/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Music is escapism from the grim realities of life. But then as soon as you escape into the music, from my point of view,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/music-is-escapism-from-the-grim-realities-of-life-but-then-as-soon-as/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [“Defy me not for gleam can only shine in my existence" said Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defy-me-not-for-gleam-can-only-shine-in-my-existence-said-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Erich von Däniken > [“Erão os Deuses Astronautas?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/er-o-os-deuses-astronautas/) [Erich von Daniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) > [“Space travelers in the gray mists of time? An inadmissible question to academic scientists. Anyone who asks questions like that ought to see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/space-travelers-in-the-gray-mists-of-time-an-inadmissible-question-to/) [Erich von Däniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) > [If we want to set out on the aruous search for the truth, we must all summon up the courage to leave the lines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/if-we-want-to-set-out-on-the-aruous-search-for-the-truth-we-must-all/) [Erich von Däniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) > [I am old, but the Gods still love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/i-am-old-but-the-gods-still-love-me/) [Erich von Däniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) > [Could it be that God was an extra-terrestrial? What do we mean when we say that heaven is in the clouds? From Jesus Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/could-it-be-that-god-was-an-extra-terrestrial-what-do-we-mean-when-we/) [Erich von Däniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) > [“Scholars make things very easy for themselves. They stick a couple of old potsherds together, search for one or two adjacent cultures, stick a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/scholars-make-things-very-easy-for-themselves-they-stick-a-couple-of/) [Erich von Däniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) > [Not until we have taken a look into the future shall we be strong and bold enough to investigate our paste honestly and impartially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/not-until-we-have-taken-a-look-into-the-future-shall-we-be-strong-and/) [Erich von Däniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) > [I don't expect that the scientific community now embraces and kisses me 'Oh wonderful, great you did!' we have to live with critics, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/i-don-t-expect-that-the-scientific-community-now-embraces-and-kisses/) [Erich von Däniken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) [Explore all 9 Erich von Däniken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/) ## More Astronomy quotes > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/) [Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) [Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) > [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/) [Sylviek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylviek/) > [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The time has come for us to admit our insignificance by making discoveries in the infinite unexplored cosmos. Only then shall we realize that we are nothing but ants in the vast state of the universe. And yet our future and our opportunities lie in the universe, where gods promised they would.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erich von Däniken" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-insignificance-by-making/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astronomy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-insignificance-by-making/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/erich-von-daniken-41400_astronomy_the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-in_3174835.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/erich-von-daniken-41400_astronomy_the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-in_3174835.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/erich-von-daniken-41400_astronomy_the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-in_3174835.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The time has come for us to admit our insignificance by making discoveries in the infinite unexplored…” — Erich von Däniken", "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": "Erich von Däniken", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-daniken/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The time has come for us...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-insignificance-by-making/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-daniken/the-time-has-come-for-us-to-admit-our-insignificance-by-making/#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 } } ] } ```