Carl Sagan // "The idea that our sense of self worth comes not from anything that we’ve done, not from anything worthy, but by an accident of birth, is where the crux of the humiliation is, in my opinion. I would say those of us worried about being demoted, those of us who wish for us to be important, should do something important. We should make an easily understandable, achievable, and inspiring goal for the human species, and then set out and do it. That would give us the confidence that we sorely lack by being dependent on our self esteem being based on nothing we do. We want to have self esteem? Let’s make a planet in which nobody is starving. Let’s make a planet in which men and women have equal access to power. Let us make a planet in which no ethnic group has it over another ethnic group. Let’s have a planet in which science and engineering is used for the benefit of everybody on the planet. And my personal idiosyncrasy, let’s have a world in which we go to other worlds."