---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While about one-third of Americans…"
description: "\"While about one-third of Americans believe in ghosts, you won't find many exhibits on these spooky beings down at the local science museum. Why? Well, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d2/seth-shostak-2047_believe_while-about-one-third-of-americans-belie_2823925.png"
---

#  While about one-third of Americans believe in ghosts, you…

![“While about one-third of Americans believe in ghosts, you won't find many exhibits on these spooky beings down at the local science museum. Why? Well, one explanation that you might consider, ghosts are just figments of our highly fertile imaginations!” quote by Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d2/seth-shostak-2047_believe_while-about-one-third-of-americans-belie_2823925.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d2/seth-shostak-2047_believe_while-about-one-third-of-americans-belie_2823925.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d2/seth-shostak-2047_believe_while-about-one-third-of-americans-belie_2823925.png)

> “While about one-third of Americans believe in ghosts, you won't find many exhibits on these spooky beings down at the local science museum. Why? Well, one explanation that you might consider, ghosts are just figments of our highly fertile imaginations!”

[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.

People often attribute unexplained phenomena to ghosts, but these beliefs stem from imaginative storytelling rather than empirical evidence.

**In simple terms:** Ghosts are imagined, not proven.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about the supernatural.

Themes

belief imagination science culture skepticism

Mood

curious skeptical

Type

analytical reflective

When to use this quote

- museum exhibits
- education
- public talks
- media coverage

Key Concepts

psychology cognitive bias cultural narratives

Questions to Reflect On

- How do cultural narratives shape our perception of the unknown?
- What role does imagination play in scientific inquiry?

A Different Perspective

Some may find comfort in ghost stories despite lack of evidence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Museum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-museum/) [Spooky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spooky/)

## Related quotes

> [You may not see massive UFO exhibits at your local science museum, but there's no dearth of saucer stories infesting my email. Every day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/you-may-not-see-massive-ufo-exhibits-at-your-local-science-museum-but/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [“You're innocent, Casaubon. You ran away instead of throwing stones, you got your degree, you didn't shoot anybody. Yet a few years ago I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/you-re-innocent-casaubon-you-ran-away-instead-of-throwing-stones-you/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Nobody ever flunked a science museum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-oppenheimer/nobody-ever-flunked-a-science-museum/)

[Frank Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-oppenheimer/)

> [“Years from now no one will remember all the extra projects you took on or your meticulously organized garage. What they—and you—will recall is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-young/years-from-now-no-one-will-remember-all-the-extra-projects-you-took/)

[Valerie Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-young/)

> [“No, what little inspiration I have in life comes not from any sense of racial pride. It stems from the same age-old yearning that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/no-what-little-inspiration-i-have-in-life-comes-not-from-any-sense-of/)

[Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/)

> [My childhood hero was David Attenborough. He opened my eyes to the wonder of the natural world. In fact, he's still my hero. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/my-childhood-hero-was-david-attenborough-he-opened-my-eyes-to-the/)

[Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/)

> [I grew up a Red Sox fan. I grew up going to Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts and the Science Museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-spader/i-grew-up-a-red-sox-fan-i-grew-up-going-to-fenway-park-and-the-museum/)

[James Spader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-spader/)

> [“At school you were taught about chemicals in test tubes, equations to describe motion, and maybe something on photosynthesis – about which more later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/at-school-you-were-taught-about-chemicals-in-test-tubes-equations-to-2/)

[Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/)

> [When I was 16, my dad took me to a DNA conference at the Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco, California, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rubins/when-i-was-16-my-dad-took-me-to-a-dna-conference-at-the-exploratorium/)

[Kathleen Rubins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rubins/)

> [“The Difference Engine stands—for a replica works today, in the Science Museum in London—as a milestone of what could be achieved in precision engineering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/the-difference-engine-stands-for-a-replica-works-today-in-the-science/)

[James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/)

> [A thirteen-year-old is a kaleidoscope of different personalities, if not in most ways a mere figment of her own imagination. At that age, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/a-thirteen-year-old-is-a-kaleidoscope-of-different-personalities-if/)

[Jessica Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mitford/)

> [ \[Math is\] not at all like science. There's no experiment I can do with test tubes and equipment and whatnot that will tell me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lockhart/math-is-not-at-all-like-science-there-s-no-experiment-i-can-do-with/)

[Paul Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lockhart/)

> [Understanding God is not attained by calling into session all arguments for and against Him, in order to debate whether He is a reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/understanding-god-is-not-attained-by-calling-into-session-all/)

[Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/)

> [It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-a-great-profession-there-is-the-fascination-of-watching-a/)

[Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/)

> [“To reinvent anomalous figments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/to-reinvent-anomalous-figments/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

## 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. And in the days before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-a-movie-it-s-often-important-to-have-aliens-whose-gestures-and/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. 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 Believe quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/)

[Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/)

[Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/)

> [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/)

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "While about one-third of Americans believe in ghosts, you won't find many exhibits on these spooky beings down at the local science museum. Why? Well, one explanation that you might consider, ghosts are just figments of our highly fertile imaginations!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Seth Shostak"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-about-one-third-of-americans-believe-in-ghosts-you-won-t-find/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Believe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-about-one-third-of-americans-believe-in-ghosts-you-won-t-find/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d2/seth-shostak-2047_believe_while-about-one-third-of-americans-belie_2823925.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d2/seth-shostak-2047_believe_while-about-one-third-of-americans-belie_2823925.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d2/seth-shostak-2047_believe_while-about-one-third-of-americans-belie_2823925.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“While about one-third of Americans believe in ghosts, you won't find many exhibits on these spooky beings…” — Seth Shostak",
                "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": "Seth Shostak",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "While about one-third of Americans believe...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-about-one-third-of-americans-believe-in-ghosts-you-won-t-find/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-about-one-third-of-americans-believe-in-ghosts-you-won-t-find/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
