--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Might it be the discovery of a distant…" description: "\"Might it be the discovery of a distant civilization and our common cosmic origins that finally drives home the message of the bond among all humans. Wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/jill-tarter-29057_asks_might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-c_2567019.jpg" --- # Might it be the discovery of a distant civilization and… ![“Might it be the discovery of a distant civilization and our common cosmic origins that finally drives home the message of the bond among all humans. Whether we're born in San Francisco or Sudan or close to the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy, we are the products of a billion-year lineage of…” quote by Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/jill-tarter-29057_asks_might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-c_2567019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/jill-tarter-29057_asks_might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-c_2567019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/jill-tarter-29057_asks_might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-c_2567019.jpg) > “Might it be the discovery of a distant civilization and our common cosmic origins that finally drives home the message of the bond among all humans. Whether we're born in San Francisco or Sudan or close to the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy, we are the products of a billion-year lineage of wandering stardust. We, all of us, are what happens when a primordial mixture of hydrogen and helium evolves for so long that it begins to ask where it came from.” [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our shared cosmic origins bind all humanity across cultures and locations. **In simple terms:** We are all stardust, connected by the same ancient stars. Key Takeaway Recognize and act on our common humanity. Themes unity cosmic perspective humanity science inclusion Mood wonder inspired reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - International diplomacy - global education - space exploration - environmental policy Key Concepts Astrobiology anthropology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does knowing we are stardust change your view of others? - What actions can promote unity based on shared origins? A Different Perspective The message may be ignored if people cling to tribal identities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Billions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billions/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common Cosmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-cosmic-1657741/) [Cosmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmic/) [Cosmic Origins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmic-origins-1657740/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Evolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolve/) [Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxy/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Happens Primordial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens-primordial-756230/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Helium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helium/) [Helium Evolves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helium-evolves-756229/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Hydrogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hydrogen/) [Lineage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lineage/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Milky way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milky-way/) [Milky Way Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milky-way-galaxy/) [Mixtures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mixtures/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/products/) [San francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/san-francisco/) [Stardust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stardust/) [Sudan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sudan/) [Wander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wander/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [We, all of us, are what happens when a primordial mixture of hydrogen and helium evolves for so long that it begins to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/we-all-of-us-are-what-happens-when-a-primordial-mixture-of-hydrogen/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [We're quite happy with our Big Bang description of cosmic origins. But actually, the Big Bang accounts for what happened only after the beginning.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-re-quite-happy-with-our-big-bang-description-of-cosmic-origins-but/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Earlier generations of stars in the galaxy could well have had planets. But really, there was only hydrogen and helium to work with, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/earlier-generations-of-stars-in-the-galaxy-could-well-have-had/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [There is a point of view among astronomical researchers that is generally referred to as the Principle of Mediocrity. ... If the Sun and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/there-is-a-point-of-view-among-astronomical-researchers-that-is/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [“Perhaps we should not be too surprised that nature sometimes appears counterintuitive to a tribe of observant, carbon-based ape descendants roaming around on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-that-nature-sometimes-appears/) [Brian Cox Jeff Forshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/) > [Estimates are that at least 70 per cent of all stars are accompanied by planets, and since the latter can occur in systems rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/estimates-are-that-at-least-70-per-cent-of-all-stars-are-accompanied/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Given the billions of neurons, this means there are as many connections in a single cubic centimeter of brain tissue as there are stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/given-the-billions-of-neurons-this-means-there-are-as-many/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [A typical neuron makes about ten thousand connections to neighboring neurons. Given the billions of neurons, this means there are as many connections in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/a-typical-neuron-makes-about-ten-thousand-connections-to-neighboring/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“At the very moment that humans discovered the scale of the universe and found that their most unconstrained fancies were in fact dwarfed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/at-the-very-moment-that-humans-discovered-the-scale-of-the-universe/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [While the Copernican principle comes with no guarantees that it will forever guide us to cosmic truths, it's worked quite well so far: not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/while-the-copernican-principle-comes-with-no-guarantees-that-it-will/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Last night I learned that for everyone alive on earth today, there are thirty ghosts lined up behind them. Not literally lined up, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mass/last-night-i-learned-that-for-everyone-alive-on-earth-today-there-are/) [Wendy Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mass/) > [“The thought that the Mayan culture managed to calculate the Earth’s passing through the plane of the Milky Way galaxy never failed to fascinate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jody-summers/the-thought-that-the-mayan-culture-managed-to-calculate-the-earth-s/) [Jody Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jody-summers/) > [Every time you look up at the sky, every one of those points of light is a reminder that fusion power is extractable from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-time-you-look-up-at-the-sky-every-one-of-those-points-of-light/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“This Voyager spacecraft was constructed by the United States of America. We are a community of 240 million human beings among the more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/this-voyager-spacecraft-was-constructed-by-the-united-states-of/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [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/) ## More by Jill Tarter > [We, all of us, are what happens when a primordial mixture of hydrogen and helium evolves for so long that it begins to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/we-all-of-us-are-what-happens-when-a-primordial-mixture-of-hydrogen/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [The space that we're looking through is nine-dimensional. If you build a mathematical model, the amount of searching that we've done in 50 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/the-space-that-we-re-looking-through-is-nine-dimensional-if-you-build/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [SETI is a mirror, a mirror that can show ourselves from an extraordinary perspective and can help to trivialize the differences among us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/seti-is-a-mirror-a-mirror-that-can-show-ourselves-from-an/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [We don't know how to identify intelligence over interstellar distances, so what we do instead is use technology for a proxy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/we-don-t-know-how-to-identify-intelligence-over-interstellar/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [We are made out of stardust. The iron in the hemoglobin molecules in the blood in your right hand came from a star that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/we-are-made-out-of-stardust-the-iron-in-the-hemoglobin-molecules-in/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [As I was leaving graduate school in 1974, I was recruited to join a fledgling SETI project at the Hat Creek Observatory in California,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/as-i-was-leaving-graduate-school-in-1974-i-was-recruited-to-join-a/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [In the future, will our technologies help stabilise or planet and population, leading to a very long lifetime for us? Or will we destroy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/in-the-future-will-our-technologies-help-stabilise-or-planet-and/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [Ultimately, we actually all belong to only one tribe, to Earthlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/ultimately-we-actually-all-belong-to-only-one-tribe-to-earthlings/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [Life has evolved to thrive in environments that are extreme only by our limited human standards: in the boiling battery acid of Yellowstone hot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/life-has-evolved-to-thrive-in-environments-that-are-extreme-only-by/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [We misuse language and talk about the 'ascent' of man. We understand the scientific basis for the interrelatedness of life, but our ego hasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/we-misuse-language-and-talk-about-the-ascent-of-man-we-understand-the/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [The existence of life beyond Earth is an ancient human concern. Over the years, however, attempts to understand humanity's place in the cosmos through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/the-existence-of-life-beyond-earth-is-an-ancient-human-concern-over/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [The story of humans is the story of ideas that shine light into dark corners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/the-story-of-humans-is-the-story-of-ideas-that-shine-light-into-dark/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [We are the laws of chemistry and physics as they have played out here on Earth, and we are now learning that planets are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/we-are-the-laws-of-chemistry-and-physics-as-they-have-played-out-here/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [Earlier generations of stars in the galaxy could well have had planets. But really, there was only hydrogen and helium to work with, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/earlier-generations-of-stars-in-the-galaxy-could-well-have-had/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [Our television transmitters leak out from the Earth. And actually, there's a sphere surrounding the Earth from the earliest television signals, maybe 70 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/our-television-transmitters-leak-out-from-the-earth-and-actually/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) [Explore all 18 Jill Tarter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Might it be the discovery of a distant civilization and our common cosmic origins that finally drives home the message of the bond among all humans. Whether we're born in San Francisco or Sudan or close to the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy, we are the products of a billion-year lineage of wandering stardust. We, all of us, are what happens when a primordial mixture of hydrogen and helium evolves for so long that it begins to ask where it came from.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jill Tarter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-civilization-and-our-common/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-civilization-and-our-common/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/jill-tarter-29057_asks_might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-c_2567019.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/jill-tarter-29057_asks_might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-c_2567019.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/169/jill-tarter-29057_asks_might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-c_2567019.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Might it be the discovery of a distant civilization and our common cosmic origins that finally drives home…” — Jill Tarter", "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": "Jill Tarter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Might it be the discovery of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-civilization-and-our-common/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/might-it-be-the-discovery-of-a-distant-civilization-and-our-common/#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 } } ] } ```