--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certainly the history of astronomy shows…" description: "\"Certainly the history of astronomy shows that every time we thought we were special, we were wrong.\" — Seth Shostak" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_certainly-the-history-of-astronomy-shows_1015767.png" --- # Certainly the history of astronomy shows that every time… ![“Certainly the history of astronomy shows that every time we thought we were special, we were wrong.” quote by Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_certainly-the-history-of-astronomy-shows_1015767.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_certainly-the-history-of-astronomy-shows_1015767.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_certainly-the-history-of-astronomy-shows_1015767.png) > “Certainly the history of astronomy shows that every time we thought we were special, we were wrong.” [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Astronomy repeatedly disproves humanity’s perceived uniqueness, urging humility. **In simple terms:** We often think we’re special, but evidence shows otherwise. Key Takeaway Embrace humility and broaden perspective. Themes science humility cosmos anthropocentrism Mood inspirational humbling Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - education curricula - public outreach - science communication - personal worldview Key Concepts astronomy philosophy existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect your sense of purpose? - What responsibilities arise from recognizing our small place? A Different Perspective Humility can be unsettling and may challenge identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Certainly History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainly-history-2234269/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-astronomy-1321058/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/) [Special Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special-wrong-2234270/) [Thought Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-special-380503/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong/) ## Related quotes > [Without passion there might be no errors, but without passion there would certainly be no history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-wedgwood/without-passion-there-might-be-no-errors-but-without-passion-there/) [C. V. Wedgwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-wedgwood/) > [The history of astronomy is a history of receding horizons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-powell-hubble/the-history-of-astronomy-is-a-history-of-receding-horizons/) [Edwin Powell Hubble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-powell-hubble/) > [If you think you'll never find that special someone to be with, then you're wrong. All you have to do is be yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-collins/if-you-think-you-ll-never-find-that-special-someone-to-be-with-then/) [Bryant Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-collins/) > [Don't act like you are special because there is something wrong with your health...You have no idea what other people go through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-act-like-you-are-special-because-there-is-something-wrong-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we met, I knew we could be something special. I was wrong. 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He was one… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-de-morgan/about-francis-baily-the-history-of-the-astronomy-of-the-nineteenth/) [Augustus De Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-de-morgan/) > [Over and over in the history of astronomy, a new instrument finds things we never expected to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/over-and-over-in-the-history-of-astronomy-a-new-instrument-finds/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [How sad, I'd say. one day your here, the next youre awaay. I thought you were special. ridiculous me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/how-sad-i-d-say-one-day-your-here-the-next-youre-awaay-i-thought-you/) [Author Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-name/) > [The show 'To Be Free' is about how I think I would be completely free in my life if I don't have this terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-amstell/the-show-to-be-free-is-about-how-i-think-i-would-be-completely-free/) [Simon Amstell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-amstell/) > [I just wanted to set myself up for life, and that degree from Villanova, I thought, is very special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalen-brunson/i-just-wanted-to-set-myself-up-for-life-and-that-degree-from/) [Jalen Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalen-brunson/) > [I would prefer to battle the 'I'm special' feeling not by the thought, 'I'm no more special than anyone else,' by by the feeling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-would-prefer-to-battle-the-i-m-special-feeling-not-by-the-thought-i/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I know what others think about mua n I thought am special to u... Bt time made me know what am to u... U…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zarnain/i-know-what-others-think-about-mua-n-i-thought-am-special-to-u-bt/) [Zarnain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zarnain/) > [I thought what we had was special, something to remember forever. But I guess I was wrong because here we are in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-barton/i-thought-what-we-had-was-special-something-to-remember-forever-but-i/) [Karina Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-barton/) ## More by Seth Shostak > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [As far as I can tell, the only unambiguous consequence of the claimed invasion of Earth by beings from another star system has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/as-far-as-i-can-tell-the-only-unambiguous-consequence-of-the-claimed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. 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But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [If you could drive straight down, into a tunnel bored through the crust of the planet, you'd hit this molten mess in about an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-you-could-drive-straight-down-into-a-tunnel-bored-through-the/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [While I have always thought that the motivation for looking for E.T. was both self-evident and patently worthy, it's possible that I'm a victim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-i-have-always-thought-that-the-motivation-for-looking-for-e-t/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I studied Latin in high school, and I was reading stuff from Cicero. And that signal took a few thousand years to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-studied-latin-in-high-school-and-i-was-reading-stuff-from-cicero/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [About the only things that are unique to Earth are our biota and our culture. If aliens ever come here, they'd most likely be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/about-the-only-things-that-are-unique-to-earth-are-our-biota-and-our/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [This plucky NASA telescope is able to find planets en masse. If you compare planet hunting to prospecting for gold, then Kepler is equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/this-plucky-nasa-telescope-is-able-to-find-planets-en-masse-if-you/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The most attractive habitats for synthetic sentience might be the vicinities of exceptional sources of energy - for example black holes, or even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-most-attractive-habitats-for-synthetic-sentience-might-be-the/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Buying insurance is no one's idea of fun. And it's especially easy to berate something as funky-sounding as writing checks to defend our neighborhoods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/buying-insurance-is-no-one-s-idea-of-fun-and-it-s-especially-easy-to/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Explore all 189 Seth Shostak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) ## 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. 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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. 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