---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What scientists want next is a thorough…"
description: "\"What scientists want next is a thorough comparison of what we and exosolar planets and vagabonds look like. Only in this way will we know whether our h..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_comparison_what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough_2215707.jpg"
---

#  What scientists want next is a thorough comparison of what…

![“What scientists want next is a thorough comparison of what we and exosolar planets and vagabonds look like. Only in this way will we know whether our home life is normal or whether we live in a dysfunctional solar family.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_comparison_what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough_2215707.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_comparison_what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough_2215707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_comparison_what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough_2215707.jpg)

> “What scientists want next is a thorough comparison of what we and exosolar planets and vagabonds look like. Only in this way will we know whether our home life is normal or whether we live in a dysfunctional solar family.”

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

We need detailed comparisons between Earth and exoplanets to gauge how typical our planetary system is.

**In simple terms:** Compare Earth to other planets to see if our system is normal.

Key Takeaway

Seek comprehensive planetary data.

Themes

astronomy comparative planetology human perspective

Mood

curious reflective

Type

scientific informative

When to use this quote

- academic conferences
- space mission planning
- educational outreach
- policy making
- public communication

Key Concepts

exoplanet studies habitability cosmic context

Questions to Reflect On

- What would a truly normal solar system look like?
- How does knowing our uniqueness affect humanity?

A Different Perspective

Data may be limited by observational constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comparison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparison/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxy/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Home life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Vagabonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vagabonds/)

## Related quotes

> [Scientists want to know the evidence behind a statement; they want reproducible tests and verifiable facts. There is a big difference in the thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/scientists-want-to-know-the-evidence-behind-a-statement-they-want/)

[Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/)

> [ There are two classes \[of scientists\], those who want to know, and do not care whether others think they know or not, and those… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/there-are-two-classes-of-scientists-those-who-want-to-know-and-do-not/)

[Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/)

> [As actors we're like these vagabond artists, we have to be invited to perform so if you don't have a choice of options its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/as-actors-we-re-like-these-vagabond-artists-we-have-to-be-invited-to/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [The way television works is that directors come in and out, and they're not there all the time, following every character through every scene.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sherman-palladino/the-way-television-works-is-that-directors-come-in-and-out-and-they/)

[Amy Sherman-Palladino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sherman-palladino/)

> [I'm a bit of a vagabond - a person who loses time and space because you don't know where you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-e-clark/i-m-a-bit-of-a-vagabond-a-person-who-loses-time-and-space-because-you/)

[Annie E. Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-e-clark/)

> [A man without an address is a vagabond; a man with two addresses is a libertine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-without-an-address-is-a-vagabond-a-man-with-two-addresses-is-a/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Men may be very learned, and yet very miserable; it is easy to be a deep geometrician, or a sublime astronomer, but very difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/men-may-be-very-learned-and-yet-very-miserable-it-is-easy-to-be-a/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [“..perhaps all our lovers are merely hints and symbols; vagabond languages scrawled on gate-posts and paving stones along the weary road that others have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/perhaps-all-our-lovers-are-merely-hints-and-symbols-vagabond/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [It was not easy for my mother, being a struggling actress and raising a child. We were these two sort of vagabonds, never knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-applegate/it-was-not-easy-for-my-mother-being-a-struggling-actress-and-raising/)

[Christina Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-applegate/)

> [We must frankly confess, then, using our empirical common sense and ordinary practical prejudices, that in the world that actually is, the virtues of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-must-frankly-confess-then-using-our-empirical-common-sense-and/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [I don't know who had the training of you," he continued doggedly, "but your morals are shocking. You spent a night in my bed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/i-don-t-know-who-had-the-training-of-you-he-continued-doggedly-but/)

[Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/)

> [“In Shivaite tradition, the god's companions are described as a troupe of freakish, adventurous, delinquent and wild young people, who prowl in the night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-dani-lou/in-shivaite-tradition-the-god-s-companions-are-described-as-a-troupe/)

Alain Daniélou

> [Artist by nature, actor by instinct, poet by accident, and vagabond by choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-blanding/artist-by-nature-actor-by-instinct-poet-by-accident-and-vagabond-by/)

Don Blanding

> [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

## More by Neil deGrasse Tyson

> [I don't want to go into space because of war. I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [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/)

> [The Pacific is the best toilet for satellites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-pacific-is-the-best-toilet-for-satellites/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [If you seek only easy problems to solve, then ultimately, there'll be nothing about you to distinguish yourself from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-you-seek-only-easy-problems-to-solve-then-ultimately-there-ll-be/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [The caricature of science is that we hold tight to the theories we have, and shun challenges to them. That's just not true. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-caricature-of-science-is-that-we-hold-tight-to-the-theories-we/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [I've said multiple times that the world's first trillionaire is going to be the person who exploits the resources of asteroids, the natural resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-ve-said-multiple-times-that-the-world-s-first-trillionaire-is-going/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [We explore our environment, more than we are compelled to utter poetry, when we're toddlers. We start doing that later. Before that happens, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-explore-our-environment-more-than-we-are-compelled-to-utter-poetry/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [The idea that God resides in the unknown is what philosophers call the God of the gaps. And we have this thing called science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-idea-that-god-resides-in-the-unknown-is-what-philosophers-call/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Everybody's got money for vacation time. Look at how much we all spend just to get - well, I get sick on the loop-the-loop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/everybody-s-got-money-for-vacation-time-look-at-how-much-we-all-spend/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

[Explore all 1,143 Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

## More Comparison quotes

> [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/)

[Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/)

> [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/)

[Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/)

> [I like to say that women are those who form life in their wombs - and this is a comparison I make - they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-like-to-say-that-women-are-those-who-form-life-in-their-wombs-and/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [You are Insignificant. One of millions, neither special nor unique. I did not ask for this ignominy, and I resent the comparison. Fine. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/you-are-insignificant-one-of-millions-neither-special-nor-unique-i/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [President Obama's achievements and failures must be evaluated by comparison to those chief executives who have come before him and not be measured against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-garrow/president-obama-s-achievements-and-failures-must-be-evaluated-by/)

[David Garrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-garrow/)

> [Composing a piece of music is very feminine. It is sensitive, emotional, contemplative. By comparison, doing housework is positively masculine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kolb/composing-a-piece-of-music-is-very-feminine-it-is-sensitive-emotional/)

Barbara Kolb

> [I think the first person to call me 'Britain's Obama' was Martin Bright at the New Statesman. Harriet Harman made the comparison once at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-think-the-first-person-to-call-me-britain-s-obama-was-martin-bright/)

[Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/)

> [The insolence of base minds in success is boundless; and would scarce admit of a comparison, did not they themselves furnish us with one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/the-insolence-of-base-minds-in-success-is-boundless-and-would-scarce/)

[Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/)

> [The wise man does not permit himself to set up even in his own mind any comparisons of his friends. His friendship is capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/the-wise-man-does-not-permit-himself-to-set-up-even-in-his-own-mind/)

[Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/)

> [It’s always going to be easy to live like others or other’s life, because creating or innovating something of own is always difficult in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/it-s-always-going-to-be-easy-to-live-like-others-or-other-s-life/)

[Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/)

> [The streets, at least in this part of town, seemed impossibly clean in comparison to London. The public telephones were unvandalised. For a London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/the-streets-at-least-in-this-part-of-town-seemed-impossibly-clean-in/)

[Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/)

> [It is only through contact and comparison that the relative value or worthlessness of the various cultural elements can be clearly and critically seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-shih/it-is-only-through-contact-and-comparison-that-the-relative-value-or/)

[Hu Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-shih/)

> [I feel I'm in 2006 form to be honest. I hear a lot of comparisons to 2004, but I never changed. Last year was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alecko-eskandarian/i-feel-i-m-in-2006-form-to-be-honest-i-hear-a-lot-of-comparisons-to/)

Alecko Eskandarian

> [Perhaps the comparison is closer to the Chinese cook who leaves hardly any part of a duck unserved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/perhaps-the-comparison-is-closer-to-the-chinese-cook-who-leaves/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

[Browse all 1,152 Comparison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparison/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What scientists want next is a thorough comparison of what we and exosolar planets and vagabonds look like. Only in this way will we know whether our home life is normal or whether we live in a dysfunctional solar family.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neil deGrasse Tyson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough-comparison-of-what-we-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Comparison"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough-comparison-of-what-we-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_comparison_what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough_2215707.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_comparison_what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough_2215707.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_comparison_what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough_2215707.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What scientists want next is a thorough comparison of what we and exosolar planets and vagabonds look like…” — Neil deGrasse Tyson",
                "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": "Neil deGrasse Tyson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What scientists want next is a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough-comparison-of-what-we-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/what-scientists-want-next-is-a-thorough-comparison-of-what-we-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
