Original artwork, not a still
We are made of star-stuff.
— Cosmos: A Personal Voyage • 1980
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The idea is literal: the iron in blood and the calcium in bone were forged in stars that died long before the Sun. Sagan made it feel like belonging rather than trivia, and the sentence has outlived the series on posters, tattoos and wedding readings. It remains the neatest reply to anyone who thinks science takes the poetry out of the sky.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Cosmos: A Personal VoyageShow the scene
Sagan speaks this line in Cosmos episode 1, 'The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean' (28 September 1980), after calling the surface of the Earth the shore of the cosmic ocean. We have waded in only ankle deep, he says, and some part of our being knows this is where we came from, and longs to return. Then he turns the idea around: the cosmos is also within us, and we are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Carl SaganCosmos: A Personal Voyage, Episode 1 'The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean' (about 5 min 15 sec in the 1990 update cut)Reference checked
- Wikipedia: Cosmos: A Personal VoyageEpisode list, episode 1Reference checked
Context reviewed
