Country Quote by Robert Ballard
“Fifty percent of our country that we own, have all legal jurisdiction, have all rights to do whatever we want, lies beneath the sea and we have better maps of Mars than that 50 percent.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Ocean Exploration Conference, 2018
Half the planet’s surface is underexplored, yet we map alien worlds better than our own seas.
In simple terms: We know Mars better than our oceans.
Key Takeaway
Explore Earth’s oceans.
Themes
exploration
knowledge
priorities
Mood
urgent
inquisitive
Type
activist
informative
When to use this quote
- policy advocacy
- educational programs
- fundraising campaigns
Key Concepts
geography
marine science
Questions to Reflect On
- Why prioritize space over oceans?
- How can public interest shift to marine exploration?
A Different Perspective
Funding for ocean research is limited.
![“The fact that this chain of life existed [at volcanic vents on the seafloor] in the black cold of the deep sea and was utterly independent of sunlight-previously thought to be the font of all Earth's life-has startling ramifications. If life could flourish there, nurtured by a complex chemical…” quote by Robert Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/623/robert-ballard-13392_black_the-fact-that-this-chain-of-life-existed_1174978.jpg)
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
