EXPLORATION | Curious Quotes

Well, it's Week Three of Curious Quotes & Universal Themes. As I was gathering inspiration from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, I was reminded that I had already posted five slides on the topic. This week we will revisit those five and introduce five brand new quotes from Ernest Shackleton, Richard Branson, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Lisa Randall, and Laura Linney. 

Ok, first things first. Let's go back and take a look at what I already shared about exploration. Click on each image above to go back to the original posting. I had completely forgotten about this letter from Issac Asimov to the library! Looking back at these I really did feel what T. S. Eliot was talking about in knowing the place for the first time. 

The Universal Theme of Exploration provides us three generalizations to ponder. Consider which one speaks to you the most at this time. As I am writing this, I am struck by the idea that exploration may result in confirmation of old findings. It is not necessarily just about finding new things. 

While there are many wonderful quotations from explorers, I was seeking one in which the word "explore" was actually used. This one from Antarctic Explorer Ernest Shackleton fits the bill. I am also really intrigued by this photograph of his ship the Endurance trapped in ice. It looks like a fake photo, but it's real! 

I was also looking for a quotation from someone that we might consider to be a current explorer so I picked Richard Branson. I really like the sentiment of this quote and how it relates to the idea that nothing is impossible. This slide took a while to get to a place where I felt good about it. I finally found this image but could not decide where to put the text. To solve the problem I cropped the image to allow for blank space at the top and bottom. 

I love this quotation from Neil deGrasse Tyson! It really fits with so much of what I think we should be doing in education and in life in general. I wanted to convey the playful nature of Tyson and this image really captures some of that youthful and mischievous spirit. I used yellow boxes layered behind the text to make sure that the words did not get lost in the background. I used the color picker to match the yellow of the girders in the background. 

While exploring quotes about exploration, I discovered this one from Harvard Physicist Dr. Lisa Randall. Then I searched to see who she was, and I wondered how I had not known about her before. If you want to feel like an underachiever then take a look at all of her accomplishments. 

This is also an excellent quote that is worthy of exploring more in context. Here's the longer version. 

But most important, people have to recognize that science can be complex. If we accept only simple stories, the description will necessarily be distorted. When advances are subtle or complicated, scientists should be willing to go the extra distance to give proper explanations and the public should be more patient about the truth. Even so, some difficulties are unavoidable. Most developments reflect work in progress, so the story is complex because no one yet knows the big picture.


But speculation and the exploration of ideas beyond what we know with certainty are what lead to progress. They are what makes science exciting. Although the more involved story might not have the same immediate appeal, the truth in the end will always be far more interesting.

Last week I shared a quote from Abigail Adams and this week we end with a quote from award winning actress Laura Linney who played Abigail Adams in the HBO mini-series John Adams. In many ways these two quotes complement each other and speak to the importance of examining situations from multiple perspectives. I think that this photo is intriguing. I wonder what she is thinking? What does her facial expression say to you? I love the composition and how it allowed for a space to insert the quotation and how there is a profile shadowed in the space. 

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VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE HERE!

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"It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy… let’s go exploring!”

Ok, one more quote, but no slide because I could really not improve on what I consider to be perfection. When Calvin and Hobbes ended on December 31, 1995, Bill Watterson beautifully sent our heroes off with this quote. It is the prefect ending and beginning of a marvelous journey. See it for yourself here.  


As always, do you have a favorite quote about exploration? Please share it in the comments section below.