The others would then fall silent and she would continue about doped gallium arsenide detectors, or the ethanol content of the galactic cloud W-3. The quantity of 200-proof alcohol in this single interstellar cloud was more than enough to maintain the present population of the Earth, if every adult were a dedicated alcoholic, for the age of the solar system. The tamada had appreciated the remark. Carl Sagan
About This Quote

As a writer, I am always on the lookout for new words that are interesting and thought-provoking. This one fits the bill nicely. A tamada is an old Japanese word for a shaman. It is said to be the title of the most powerful of the yokai, supernatural monsters that inhabit Japanese folklore.

Typically, one of these creatures would be summoned by an ancestor or ancestor’s spirit to help in some task of great importance. Perhaps it would point out where gold is hidden, or guide someone lost in the forest, or reveal where treasure has been buried.

Source: Contact

Some Similar Quotes
  1. I have something I need to tell you, " he says. I run my fingers along the tendons in his hands and look back at him. "I might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you,... - Veronica Roth

  2. I love you like a fat kid loves cake! - Scott Adams

  3. Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby- awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess. - Lemony Snicket

  4. When God Created Mothers"When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said. "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one." And God said, "Have you read the specs on this order?"... - Erma Bombeck

  5. And next time you're planning to injure yourself to get me attention, just remember that a little sweet talk works wonders. - Cassandra Clare

More Quotes By Carl Sagan
  1. Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.

  2. The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.

  3. The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us -- there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a...

  4. A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism.

  5. We are star stuff harvesting sunlight.

Related Topics