---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In very different ways, the possibility…"
description: "\"“In very different ways, the possibility that the universe is teeming with life, and the opposite possibility that we are totally alone, are equally ex..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/richard-dawkins-115_astronomy_in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-t_970012.jpg"
---

#  In very different ways, the possibility that the universe…

![“In very different ways, the possibility that the universe is teeming with life, and the opposite possibility that we are totally alone, are equally exciting. Either way, the urge to know more about the universe seems to me irresistible, and I cannot imagine that anybody of truly poetic sensibility…” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/richard-dawkins-115_astronomy_in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-t_970012.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/richard-dawkins-115_astronomy_in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-t_970012.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/richard-dawkins-115_astronomy_in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-t_970012.jpg)

> ““In very different ways, the possibility that the universe is teeming with life, and the opposite possibility that we are totally alone, are equally exciting. Either way, the urge to know more about the universe seems to me irresistible, and I cannot imagine that anybody of truly poetic sensibility could disagree.””

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

## About This Quote

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

Both the idea of a crowded universe and total solitude are thrilling, and the drive to learn more about cosmos is irresistible to poetic minds.

**In simple terms:** Both possibilities spark wonder and curiosity.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the mystery of the cosmos.

Themes

science philosophy wonder

Mood

thoughtful inspired

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- educational talks
- science writing
- philosophical discussions

Key Concepts

astrobiology existential inquiry

Questions to Reflect On

- What excites you more: the unknown or the known?
- How does poetry influence scientific curiosity?

A Different Perspective

Some argue that scientific evidence, not poetic feeling, should guide belief.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Different ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ways/) [Extraterrestrial life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraterrestrial-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Possibility Totally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility-totally-1855711/) [Possibility Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility-universe-1855709/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Irresistible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-irresistible-1855708/) [Universe Teeming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-teeming-1855710/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/)

## Related quotes

> [It is in scientific honesty that I endorse the presentation of alternative theories for the origin of the universe, life and man in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/it-is-in-scientific-honesty-that-i-endorse-the-presentation-of/)

[Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/)

> [When I was a student almost nobody thought there was any life beyond Earth. Today it's fashionable to say that there is life all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/when-i-was-a-student-almost-nobody-thought-there-was-any-life-beyond/)

[Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/)

> [If we do discover more than one type of life on Earth, we can be fairly certain that the universe is teeming with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/if-we-do-discover-more-than-one-type-of-life-on-earth-we-can-be/)

[Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/)

> [“There's one important question humanity has asked throughout history that no longer needs to be asked! Are there other intelligent beings out there somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-s-one-important-question-humanity-has-asked-throughout-history/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“The modern belief that highly advanced civilizations from other planets are visiting the Earth via spacecraft is a ruse. If real, they are beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-w-mardis/the-modern-belief-that-highly-advanced-civilizations-from-other/)

[Jeffrey W. Mardis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-w-mardis/)

> [I'm not at liberty to discuss the governments knowledge of extraterrestrial UFO's at this time. I am still personally being briefed on the subject!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-m-not-at-liberty-to-discuss-the-governments-knowledge-of/)

[Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/)

> [“Well, what the fuck would an extraterrestrial life form want to come here for?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/well-what-the-fuck-would-an-extraterrestrial-life-form-want-to-come/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [I'm of the opinion that it flies in the face of reason not to believe. The odds are too great against you to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-lancie/i-m-of-the-opinion-that-it-flies-in-the-face-of-reason-not-to-believe/)

[John de Lancie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-lancie/)

> [The biggest breakthrough in the next 50 years will be the discovery of extraterrestrial life. We have been searching for it for 50 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-biggest-breakthrough-in-the-next-50-years-will-be-the-discovery/)

[Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/)

> [“We live in a world where extraterrestrials could be everywhere and you would never know. A world driven by god’s, unexplained structures, countless stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-e-emmering/we-live-in-a-world-where-extraterrestrials-could-be-everywhere-and/)

[Michael E Emmering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-e-emmering/)

> [I've been asked about UFOs and I've said publicly I thought they were somebody else, some other civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-cernan/i-ve-been-asked-about-ufos-and-i-ve-said-publicly-i-thought-they-were/)

[Gene Cernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-cernan/)

> [As far as I'm concerned, Enceladus has become the go-to place in our solar system for issues bearing on extraterrestrial life. It's a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-porco/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-enceladus-has-become-the-go-to-place-in-our/)

[Carolyn Porco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-porco/)

> [“Is there life on earth? Yes there is! Are there special molecules that create life on Earth that do not exist in the universe?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/is-there-life-on-earth-yes-there-is-are-there-special-molecules-that/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [In the firm belief that the American public deserves a better explanation than that thus far given by the Air Force, I strongly recommend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/in-the-firm-belief-that-the-american-public-deserves-a-better/)

[Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/)

> [“It is irrelevant whether or not there are other forms of life in the Galaxy or in other galaxies. The fact that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-nazrul-islam/it-is-irrelevant-whether-or-not-there-are-other-forms-of-life-in-the/)

[Jamal Nazrul Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-nazrul-islam/)

## More by Richard Dawkins

> [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. The true scientist, however passionately he may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-fundamentalist-kurt-wise-proclaims-that-all-the-evidence-in-the/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“much of the Bible is not systematically evil but just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/much-of-the-bible-is-not-systematically-evil-but-just-plain-weird-as/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [The Roman Catholic Church is an institution for whose gains the phrase "ill-gotten" might have been specially invented. And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully 'designed' to have come into existence by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-have-seen-that-living-things-are-too-improbable-and-too/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“We will not go quietly away. If in the future that requires violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-will-not-go-quietly-away-if-in-the-future-that-requires-violence/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

[Explore all 1,239 Richard Dawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

## 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": "“In very different ways, the possibility that the universe is teeming with life, and the opposite possibility that we are totally alone, are equally exciting. Either way, the urge to know more about the universe seems to me irresistible, and I cannot imagine that anybody of truly poetic sensibility could disagree.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Dawkins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-that-the-universe-is-teeming/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Astronomy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-that-the-universe-is-teeming/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/richard-dawkins-115_astronomy_in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-t_970012.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/richard-dawkins-115_astronomy_in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-t_970012.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/richard-dawkins-115_astronomy_in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-t_970012.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In very different ways, the possibility that the universe is teeming with life, and the opposite possibility…” — Richard Dawkins",
                "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": "Richard Dawkins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In very different ways, the possibility...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-that-the-universe-is-teeming/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/in-very-different-ways-the-possibility-that-the-universe-is-teeming/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
