"Who are we? We are a collection of water and a few fundamental chemicals, but we are also a way for the universe to know itself."

"The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pie were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff."

"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition."

"What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made of trees, with flexible parts on which are imprinted many curious squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another hum…"

"We are a speck of dust in the cosmic ocean."