Mae Jemison Quotes
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I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did not know if I would get in. It was the year after the Challenger accident in 1987.
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I'd love to go into space again if there were a mission to Mars. I'd also love to go to a completely different planetary system, out of our solar system.
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We look at science as something very elite, which only a few people can learn. That's just not true. You just have to start early and give kids a foundation. Kids live up, or down, to expectations.
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There is a fascination with the idea that one has 'seen someone else do something' before one can achieve it. Maybe that's true in some cases, but clearly it is not a requirement. I knew what I wanted to do.
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I was thinking as a little girl growing up that I would be there. When I look at whether we can go to Mars, it's definitely something we can do.
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The really wonderful thing that happened to me when I was in space was this feeling of belonging to the entire universe.
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The drills we do, where you're telling kids to memorize things, don't actually work. What works is engaging them and letting them do things and discover things.
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I've gotten this advice at different times, and it distills down to one word: purpose. Why are you here? When you start to get distracted by thoughts such as 'Do I fit in? Does this person like me?' - remember why you're there and what you want to accomplish.
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We are all tasked to balance and optimize ourselves.
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The fact we don't have a lunar base has nothing to do with the technology. It has to do with public commitment and societal support.
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To survive as a species on this planet, we're going to have to see ourselves as Earthlings.
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Timidity does not inspire bold acts.
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When you have teachers saying, 'I don't have enough time for hands-on activities,' we need to rethink the way we do education.
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I think that people need an adrenalin rush. Folks need something aspirational; they need to do something that is hard. That's what ignites the imagination.
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Some of the most fun people I know are scientists.
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I wanted to be a professional dancer for a period of time, and I did a lot of dancing and choreography and got paid for it.
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You have to actually be weighted to something to do the moonwalk, you know.
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Intuitive versus analytical? That's a foolish choice. It's foolish, just like trying to choose between being realistic or idealistic. You need both in life.
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The level of confidence women are able to build in women-only groups is important.
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I like to think of ideas as potential energy. They're really wonderful, but nothing will happen until we risk putting them into action.
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I stayed in the astronaut program until 1993. People ask me why I left. I thought I had a lot of things to contribute that would be difficult to do if I stayed. I thought I could have a stronger voice as an advocate for space exploration. So I ended up starting my own technology consulting company.
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What we find is that if you have a goal that is very, very far out, and you approach it in little steps, you start to get there faster. Your mind opens up to the possibilities.
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I think we know how to do Mars.
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What I'm very concerned about is how do we bolster our self-awareness as humans, as biological organisms?