I'm not religious in the normal sense. I believe the universe is governed by the laws of science. The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does… - Stephen Hawking

[on the possibility of contact with an alien civilization]: I think it would be a disaster. The extraterrestrials would probably be far in advance of us. The history of advanced races meeting more primitive people on this planet is not very happy, and they were the same species. I think we should keep our heads low.

But ever since the dawn of civilization, people have not been content to see events as unconnected and inexplicable. They have craved an understanding of the underlying order in the world. Today we still yearn to know why we are here and where we come from. Humanity's deepest desire for knowledge is justification enough for our continuing quest. And our goal is nothing less than a complete description of the universe we live in.

There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. (...) However bad life may seem (...) While there’s life, there is hope.