Stanley Kubrick

"The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of human existence, then our existence as a species can have a meaning and a purpose. However, in this vast indifference, there is no inherent meaning or purpose, only what we create for ourselves."

— from Interview

"The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death – however mutable man may be – then in his brief moment on Earth every man can experience a fulfillment that will make his life for himself an enduring joy."

"The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death – however long the interval and however short – then man’s existence as a species can have a meaning."

— from 2001: A Space Odyssey production notes, 1968