Solaris Exploration Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph) Note that chapters aren't numbered, so need to be numbered manually, 1 to 14.

Quote #7

"Man has gone out to explore other worlds and other civilizations without having explored his own labyrinth of dark passages and secret chambers, and without finding what lies behind doorways that he himself has sealed." (10.123)

Or, in other words, screw your head on right before you go out to Mars.

Quote #8

"Earth is a common type—the grass of the universe! And we pride ourselves on this universality. There's nowhere we can't go; in that belief we set out for other worlds, all brimming with confidence. And what were we going to do with them? Rule them or be ruled by them: that was the only idea in our pathetic minds." (11.10)

Kelvin is saying that humans explore only to conquer or be conquered; it's all about control, not about actually finding anything new. Exploration is about imperialism, not curiosity.

Quote #9

Over the years, Contact has become sanctified. It has become the heaven of eternity. (11.68)

The dream of alien contact is directly compared to the dream of heaven. But guess what? God isn't any easier to understand just because he's a big ocean brain.