The world has persisted many a long year, having once been set going in the appropriate motions. From these everything else follows.
-- Lucretius (chapter 1 paragraph 1)

Importance: Though this quote dates to 50 B.C., it represents the attitude Tyson takes toward scientific discovery. The physical laws dictating the way the universe behaves are the code by which every single thing in the universe abides. This simple fact renders the entire cosmos understandable, as even unknowns can be deduced through the known physical laws of the universe

...ignorance is the natural state of mind for a research scientist. People who believe they are ignorant of nothing have neither looked for, nor stumbled upon, the boundary between what is known and unknown in the universe.
-- Neil deGrasse Tyson (chapter 1 paragraph 4)

Importance: Tyson believes science is a humbling mechanism, as the universe never bends to the whim of the researcher. Thus, as a scientist and a scientific communicator, Tyson constantly reiterates the normalcy of...