Wisdom in fragments

Most people don't know who they are. They're trying to be what other people want them to be- or they're trying to create something that fills a void that comes from within. The pressure to conform is huge right now, especially with people getting cancelled; saying what you really feel can make you unpopular… so people box themselves into a place where they're not celebrated or respected for being truthful. It's tragic.

Reality TV Star & Founder of Skinnygirl Cocktails Brand

You cannot show-off in space, we must be humble. The only purpose for us to seek journeys into space is to learn about the unknown. That's a spiritual conquest. Leaving the solar system has no commercial benefits.

Harvard astrophysicist who studies interstellar objects and extraterrestrial life

The role of science is to educate us about our reality – and we shouldn't be afraid of it. Once we recognise reality, we can adapt to it. If you don't recognise reality, you act irresponsibly, and your actions won't match the environment.

Harvard astrophysicist who studies interstellar objects and extraterrestrial life

The only way for you to discover something new is to acknowledge the ocean of ignorance in which you are just an island. Experts have a problem with that – they want to get prizes, and get recognised by their colleagues and peers as being very smart.

Harvard astrophysicist who studies interstellar objects and extraterrestrial life

Science is a learning experience. We are interacting with nature, collecting evidence, and sometimes nature is more imaginative than we are. We ought to be humble when collective evidence, and not assume we know the answer in advance.

Harvard astrophysicist who studies interstellar objects and extraterrestrial life

You can't force people to change- you have to find their passion and implement based on that. The economist, Dambisa Moyo, showed that even though $2.5trillion has been invested in aid, Africa is now net-poorer than 50 years ago.

I don't feed stomachs, I feed minds. Education is the only weapon capable of transforming a community. Imagine… I was an illiterate 17-year-old boy, and I can do this. Imagine what we can do if we empower everyone.

On our Sahara Desert crossing, there was a man, who was dying of thirst, who urinated in his hand and shared some with me when he needed it to survive. The world is about sharing and giving to others.

I need to tell my story until there are no more stories like mine. More than 97% of my friends, with whom I shared this journey, died. My mission was to be voice for all those who died on my journey, and who kept on dying.

Curiosity drives human progress; it helps us understand our world and that's what drew me to leave my home. I had this curiosity, like Isaac Newton when he saw the apple fall and wondered why.

Artists have always been part of networks; Art history is more connected than we have believed.

Whether it's doodling with a pencil, or painting, the practice of art – in any shape or form – is hugely liberating and gets us into the sense, and state, of flow. Art helps us navigate our place in the world, and offers us a place of stillness – much needed in today's digital world.

History is the story of those who wrote it… I have been trying very hard to add people back into the history of art who should have been there all along. I see this like Pompeii, these artists exist, but they're covered in ash. We must excavate them.

Art is hardwired into our DNA; we've been making it for at least 50,000 years. It's almost magic – it has a mysterious power over us when we look at it and connect to it. Art connects directly with our emotions; it can move us and help us understand our place in the world. Art, literally is part of who we are.

You must free yourself from the fear of losing something such that you can enjoy that something. If you're afraid of a relationship ending, you'll never be able to enjoy the relationship.

Social Scientist & Author on Happiness, Meaning, and Conservative Values

Our lives have a first and second curve. The first curve is your me curve. The second curve is your wisdom curve. Your teaching curve. It requires you to serve others. You need to find ways of shifting your life from me to we as you transition in age.

Social Scientist & Author on Happiness, Meaning, and Conservative Values