# Need a saying for a Sagan dedication plaque **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168 "2012-01-30T06:33:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/1 "2012-01-30T06:33:20Z")
I an writing a story in which a spaceplane named the _Sagan_, after the late astronomer Carl Sagan, is launched towards an orbiting space station. I want to have a dedication plaque in the forward cabin with the name of the ship, details of construction, a portrait of Dr, Sagan, and a quote of Sagan’s which would be suitable for a spacecraft. [Here’s the Wikiquote page](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan) with a lot of Sagan quotes. Which one of these, or others that you can think of, would you, my fellow Dopers would choose? P.S. The _Sagan_ has a flyback launcher named the _Newton_, and for her plaque, I am using Isaac Newton’s quote, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,” as an ironic joke. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/2 "2012-01-30T07:20:59Z")
**"We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars."** ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/3 "2012-01-30T13:57:03Z")
“Oh fuck, I’ve burnt the toast again.” He did say that, once. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/4 "2012-01-30T21:27:11Z")
Actually, I’ve always liked the quote: “We are all made of star stuff” Not sure how appropriate this is for a fictional space plane. J. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/5 "2012-02-11T05:02:00Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > **“We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.”** Just bumped the thread to let you know that I decided to use this one. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/6 "2012-02-11T10:44:12Z")
> [@AtomicDog](#): > > Just bumped the thread to let you know that I decided to use this one. Thanks. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/7 "2012-02-12T18:17:34Z")
“Astronomy is Looking up” From a poster in the movie Contact. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/8 "2012-02-12T18:46:24Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > **“We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.”** You know, for a scientist, Sagan had the soul of a poet. I watched Cosmos when I was a kid and it was first broadcast, and my spine tingled at some of the wonderful stuff he said. Like when he pointed out that we’re all made of star stuff. (I mean, it’s obviously true, but he had a way of putting things that was really clever.) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/9 "2012-02-12T18:54:55Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > “Oh fuck, I’ve burnt the toast again.” > > He did say that, once. This was a personal communication, I take it? ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-saying-for-a-sagan-dedication-plaque/611168/10 "2012-02-12T19:04:40Z")
\*\*\*“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” \*\*\* Widely attributed but I can’t seem to find a confirmed citation. Can anyone confirm? [http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/waiting.html](http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/waiting.html)