--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem is that people have tried to…" description: "\"“The problem is that people have tried to look away from space and from the meaning of the moon landing. I remember seeing a picture of an astronaut st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/joseph-campbell-300_arrogance_the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to_1514037.jpg" --- # The problem is that people have tried to look away from… ![“The problem is that people have tried to look away from space and from the meaning of the moon landing. I remember seeing a picture of an astronaut standing on the moon. It was up at Yale and someone has scrawled on it, 'So what?' That is the arrogance of the kind of academic narrowness one too…” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/joseph-campbell-300_arrogance_the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to_1514037.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/joseph-campbell-300_arrogance_the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to_1514037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/joseph-campbell-300_arrogance_the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to_1514037.jpg) > ““The problem is that people have tried to look away from space and from the meaning of the moon landing. I remember seeing a picture of an astronaut standing on the moon. It was up at Yale and someone has scrawled on it, 'So what?' That is the arrogance of the kind of academic narrowness one too often sees; it is trapped in its own predictable prejudices, its own stale categories. It is the mind dulled to the poetry of existence. It's fashionable now to demand some economic payoff from space, some reward to prove it was all worthwhile. Those who say this resemble the apelike creatures in 2001 . They are fighting for food among themselves, while one separates himself from them and moves to the slab, motivated by awe. That is the point they are missing. He is the one who evolves into a human being; he is the one who understands the future.”” [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote criticizes narrow academic focus that dismisses the awe and deeper meaning of space, reducing it to economic terms, and urges embracing wonder as essential for human evolution. **In simple terms:** People often ignore the wonder of space, focusing only on money. Key Takeaway Seek awe, not just profit. Themes space exploration human curiosity philosophy science evolution Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - academic conferences - policy debates - public outreach - education programs Key Concepts existential meaning intellectual humility future vision Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance practical benefits with inspirational goals? - What role does wonder play in scientific progress? A Different Perspective The emphasis on economic payoff can overlook cultural and inspirational value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Moon landing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon-landing/) ## Related quotes > [“there is no meaning to the moon without the light of the sun...and you were my sun”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-holly-gang/there-is-no-meaning-to-the-moon-without-the-light-of-the-sun-and-you/) [Richie Holly Gang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-holly-gang/) > [I had as much time to prepare for that moon landing as NASA did, and I still was speechless when it happened. It just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-had-as-much-time-to-prepare-for-that-moon-landing-as-nasa-did-and-i/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [The 'Bachelor' producers have scripted and are responsible for certain events: the first moon landing, the end of the cold war, Astro-turf, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-harrison/the-bachelor-producers-have-scripted-and-are-responsible-for-certain/) [Chris Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-harrison/) > [ My take on what happened with the moon landing was \[…\] they suspect \[ sic \] that on impact that the cameras would be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-hovind/my-take-on-what-happened-with-the-moon-landing-was-they-suspect-sic/) [Kent Hovind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-hovind/) > [“People say- 'NASA lies.' I say- 'the moon knows it all. Look at the moon and forget the spinning flat world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/people-say-nasa-lies-i-say-the-moon-knows-it-all-look-at-the-moon-and/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [Well, I think of the folks who are the climate deniers as the flat Earthers and the people who say the moon landings never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/well-i-think-of-the-folks-who-are-the-climate-deniers-as-the-flat/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, the three astronauts from Apollo 11 visited the White House. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/to-commemorate-the-40th-anniversary-of-the-moon-landing-the-three/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Now, I know that he's taken some flak lately but no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/now-i-know-that-he-s-taken-some-flak-lately-but-no-one-is-prouder-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The moon landing was such a magnificent accomplishment in U.S. space history. I think that boots on the moon was just one indicator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mcclain/the-moon-landing-was-such-a-magnificent-accomplishment-in-u-s-space/) [Anne McClain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mcclain/) > [In New York, the Mets are winning the World Series in 1969; that was pretty big, but I would say the moon landing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-massimino/in-new-york-the-mets-are-winning-the-world-series-in-1969-that-was/) [Michael J. Massimino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-massimino/) > [The exciting part for me, as a pilot, was the landing on the moon. That was the time that we had achieved the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/the-exciting-part-for-me-as-a-pilot-was-the-landing-on-the-moon-that/) [Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/) > [In a Bloomberg poll, 88% of respondents said that Wall Street bonuses should either be banned outright or taxed at 50%. Just 7% said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-salmon/in-a-bloomberg-poll-88-of-respondents-said-that-wall-street-bonuses/) Felix Salmon > [“On Rachel's show for November 7, 2012: Ohio really did go to President Obama last night. and he really did win. And he really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/on-rachel-s-show-for-november-7-2012-ohio-really-did-go-to-president/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ “For me, the most ironic token of \[the first human moon landing\] is the plaque signed by President Richard M. Nixon that Apollo 11… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/for-me-the-most-ironic-token-of-the-first-human-moon-landing-is-the/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“As everybody knows, a humungous thing happened on Sunday, July 20th, 1969, at exactly 4:17:41 E.D.T. The 'Eagle' has landed. Bingo. Just like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-turpin-myers/as-everybody-knows-a-humungous-thing-happened-on-sunday-july-20th/) [Janet Turpin Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-turpin-myers/) ## More by Joseph Campbell > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-ego-is-your-embodiment-and-your-self-is-your-potentiality-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More Arrogance quotes > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“I was consumed by a selfishness and arrogance that I didn't dare let go of until I found a new persona to hide behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/i-was-consumed-by-a-selfishness-and-arrogance-that-i-didn-t-dare-let/) [Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/) > [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Timing and arrogance are decisive factors in the successful use of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/timing-and-arrogance-are-decisive-factors-in-the-successful-use-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/) [Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/) > [My success isn't a result of arrogance - it's a result of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/my-success-isn-t-a-result-of-arrogance-it-s-a-result-of-belief/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/) Miguel Cervantes > [An increasing number of people are growing uncomfortable with the gulf between the world's rich and the poor. Ostentatiously splashing your money around simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalle-lasn/an-increasing-number-of-people-are-growing-uncomfortable-with-the/) [Kalle Lasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalle-lasn/) [Browse all 1,418 Arrogance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The problem is that people have tried to look away from space and from the meaning of the moon landing. I remember seeing a picture of an astronaut standing on the moon. It was up at Yale and someone has scrawled on it, 'So what?' That is the arrogance of the kind of academic narrowness one too often sees; it is trapped in its own predictable prejudices, its own stale categories. It is the mind dulled to the poetry of existence. It's fashionable now to demand some economic payoff from space, some reward to prove it was all worthwhile. Those who say this resemble the apelike creatures in 2001 . They are fighting for food among themselves, while one separates himself from them and moves to the slab, motivated by awe. That is the point they are missing. He is the one who evolves into a human being; he is the one who understands the future.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Campbell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to-look-away-from-space-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arrogance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to-look-away-from-space-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/joseph-campbell-300_arrogance_the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to_1514037.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/joseph-campbell-300_arrogance_the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to_1514037.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/joseph-campbell-300_arrogance_the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to_1514037.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The problem is that people have tried to look away from space and from the meaning of the moon landing. I…” — Joseph Campbell", "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": "Joseph Campbell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The problem is that people have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to-look-away-from-space-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-problem-is-that-people-have-tried-to-look-away-from-space-and/#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 } } ] } ```