---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't want people to spend their nights…"
description: "\"I don't want people to spend their nights worrying about getting hit by asteroids. But I do want them to encourage their political leaders to invest in..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/rusty-schweickart-16191_about_i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-night_2907228.jpg"
---

#  I don't want people to spend their nights worrying about…

![“I don't want people to spend their nights worrying about getting hit by asteroids. But I do want them to encourage their political leaders to invest in the insurance, which will allow us to prevent it from happening.” quote by Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/rusty-schweickart-16191_about_i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-night_2907228.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/rusty-schweickart-16191_about_i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-night_2907228.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/rusty-schweickart-16191_about_i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-night_2907228.jpg)

> “I don't want people to spend their nights worrying about getting hit by asteroids. But I do want them to encourage their political leaders to invest in the insurance, which will allow us to prevent it from happening.”

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

## About This Quote

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

Advocates proactive political investment in asteroid defense rather than fear.

**In simple terms:** Invest in prevention, not panic.

Key Takeaway

Support policies that fund planetary defense.

Themes

science policy risk management

Mood

concerned optimistic

Type

persuasive informative

When to use this quote

- government budgeting
- space agency planning
- public education

Key Concepts

asteroid mitigation insurance public safety

Questions to Reflect On

- What incentives drive leaders to fund space safety?
- How can public awareness shape policy?

A Different Perspective

Funding may be politically contentious.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Allow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allow/) [Asteroids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asteroids/) [Asteroids Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asteroids-want-3392915/) [Encourage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encourage/) [Encourage Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encourage-political-3631048/) [Getting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting/) [Happening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happening/) [Hit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hit/) [Hit Asteroids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hit-asteroids-4167055/) [Insurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insurance/) [Invest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invest/) [Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Nights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nights/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-leader/) [Political leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-leaders/) [Prevent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevent/) [Prevent Happening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevent-happening-1583430/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Spend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spend/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [Worrying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worrying/)

## Related quotes

> [We want to build colonies on the Moon, Mars, the Moons of other planets, and even nearby asteroids. We want to make space tourism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goldin/we-want-to-build-colonies-on-the-moon-mars-the-moons-of-other-planets/)

[Daniel Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goldin/)

> [If you notice that something is wrong, as a layman, one can prevent it from happening altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohnish-bahl/if-you-notice-that-something-is-wrong-as-a-layman-one-can-prevent-it/)

[Mohnish Bahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohnish-bahl/)

> [The Purpose of Time is to Prevent Everything from Happening at Once](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/x-j-kennedy/the-purpose-of-time-is-to-prevent-everything-from-happening-at-once/)

[X. J. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/x-j-kennedy/)

> [It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-is-our-job-to-figure-out-what-happened-and-do-everything-we-can-to/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it happening again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/what-is-done-cannot-be-undone-but-one-can-prevent-it-happening-again/)

[Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/)

> [I think all of us could insist on preserving the truth and preserving the peace. We could insist that political candidates tell the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-think-all-of-us-could-insist-on-preserving-the-truth-and-preserving/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [While we didn't know the dinosaurs personally, we do know that they were wiped out by an asteroid impact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/while-we-didn-t-know-the-dinosaurs-personally-we-do-know-that-they/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [We need early warning systems, technologies to deflect an asteroid - and we need political preparedness as well. It needs to be clear who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/we-need-early-warning-systems-technologies-to-deflect-an-asteroid-and/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [We can both prevent asteroid impacts and address climate change. It's not either-or.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/we-can-both-prevent-asteroid-impacts-and-address-climate-change-it-s/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [The nice thing about asteroids is that once you've found them, and once you have a good solid orbit on them, you can predict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/the-nice-thing-about-asteroids-is-that-once-you-ve-found-them-and/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [It would take an extremely large spacecraft to deflect a large asteroid that would be headed directly for the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/it-would-take-an-extremely-large-spacecraft-to-deflect-a-large/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [In the short term, some deadly virus might be more important, but in the long run there is hardly anything more important than asteroids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/in-the-short-term-some-deadly-virus-might-be-more-important-but-in/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [Asteroids have hit the Earth millions of times. We can see them as shooting stars every night. When they get bigger, things get complicated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/asteroids-have-hit-the-earth-millions-of-times-we-can-see-them-as/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [Asteroids are deep-space bodies orbiting the Sun, not the Earth, and traveling to one would mean sending humans into solar orbit for the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/asteroids-are-deep-space-bodies-orbiting-the-sun-not-the-earth-and/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [We could not wipe ourselves out with a nuclear war. I do not want so sound too positive. It would be a catastrophe, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/we-could-not-wipe-ourselves-out-with-a-nuclear-war-i-do-not-want-so/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

## More by Rusty Schweickart

> [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [We could not wipe ourselves out with a nuclear war. I do not want so sound too positive. It would be a catastrophe, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/we-could-not-wipe-ourselves-out-with-a-nuclear-war-i-do-not-want-so/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [Asteroids are deep-space bodies orbiting the Sun, not the Earth, and traveling to one would mean sending humans into solar orbit for the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/asteroids-are-deep-space-bodies-orbiting-the-sun-not-the-earth-and/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [Asteroids have hit the Earth millions of times. We can see them as shooting stars every night. When they get bigger, things get complicated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/asteroids-have-hit-the-earth-millions-of-times-we-can-see-them-as/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [In the short term, some deadly virus might be more important, but in the long run there is hardly anything more important than asteroids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/in-the-short-term-some-deadly-virus-might-be-more-important-but-in/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [So I just let go with one hand, and just sort of swung around, looked at the Earth below and the black space above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/so-i-just-let-go-with-one-hand-and-just-sort-of-swung-around-looked/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [This whole issue of limits to growth, which provides a psychological, as well as a physical, cap on potential expansion of activity and awareness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/this-whole-issue-of-limits-to-growth-which-provides-a-psychological/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [It is not enough to do a desktop exercise of a Beethoven symphony. You need to practice with an orchestra. The musicians need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/it-is-not-enough-to-do-a-desktop-exercise-of-a-beethoven-symphony-you/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [It would take an extremely large spacecraft to deflect a large asteroid that would be headed directly for the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/it-would-take-an-extremely-large-spacecraft-to-deflect-a-large/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [As you pass from sunlight into darkness and back again every hour and a half, you become startlingly aware how artificial are thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-you-pass-from-sunlight-into-darkness-and-back-again-every-hour-and/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [No government in the world today has explicitly assigned the responsibility for planetary protection to any of its agencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/no-government-in-the-world-today-has-explicitly-assigned-the/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [Americans who read the papers or watch Jay Leno have been aware for some time now that there is a slim but real possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/americans-who-read-the-papers-or-watch-jay-leno-have-been-aware-for/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [All of us know today the value of communications satellites, weather satellites, resources satellites, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/all-of-us-know-today-the-value-of-communications-satellites-weather/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [I am interested in climate change and other topics too. But this thing is so huge, in the worst case we are talking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/i-am-interested-in-climate-change-and-other-topics-too-but-this-thing/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

> [Landing on the moon was a dream that millions of kids have had for hundreds of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/landing-on-the-moon-was-a-dream-that-millions-of-kids-have-had-for/)

[Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

[Explore all 40 Rusty Schweickart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/)

## More About 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/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/)

[Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/)

[Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/)

[Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

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

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

[Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't want people to spend their nights worrying about getting hit by asteroids. But I do want them to encourage their political leaders to invest in the insurance, which will allow us to prevent it from happening.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rusty Schweickart"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-nights-worrying-about-getting-hit/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "About"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-nights-worrying-about-getting-hit/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/rusty-schweickart-16191_about_i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-night_2907228.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/rusty-schweickart-16191_about_i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-night_2907228.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/729/rusty-schweickart-16191_about_i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-night_2907228.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't want people to spend their nights worrying about getting hit by asteroids. But I do want them to…” — Rusty Schweickart",
                "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": "Rusty Schweickart",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't want people to spend...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-nights-worrying-about-getting-hit/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/i-don-t-want-people-to-spend-their-nights-worrying-about-getting-hit/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
