"When you launch in a rocket, you're not really flying that rocket. You're just sort of hanging on"
- Michael P. Anderson
About this Quote
This quote by Michael P. Anderson talks to the idea that when you launch in a rocket, you are not really controlling the rocket. You are merely along for the flight, and the rocket remains in control. This is a metaphor for life in general, as we typically feel like we are simply along for the ride, and that life remains in control. We might feel like we are simply holding on, and that we have no control over the instructions our lives take. This quote is a reminder that although we may not be in control of our lives, we can still take pleasure in the ride and make the most of it. We can bask in the reality that although we might not remain in control, we can still make choices and decisions that will shape our lives.
"Nowhere in this country should we have laws that permit drinking and driving or drinking in vehicles that are on American highways. This is not rocket science. We know how to prevent this, and 36 states do"
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed"
"The two things that matter the most to me: emotional resonance and rocket launchers. Party of Five, a brilliant show, and often made me cry uncontrollably, suffered ultimately from a lack of rocket launchers"
"Some ways of using our thinking are really inspiring. There are people who use their thinking to race cars. People use their thinking to build rockets to the moon. It's all just a use of your thinking"
"To place a man in a multi-stage rocket and project him into the controlling gravitational field of the moon where the passengers can make scientific observations, perhaps land alive, and then return to earth - all that constitutes a wild dream worthy of Jules Verne"
"Rocket scientists agree that we have about reached the limit of our ability to travel in space using chemical rockets. To achieve anything near the speed of light we will need a new energy source and a new propellant. Nuclear fission is not an option"
