Robert Zubrin Quotes

Powerful Robert Zubrin for Daily Growth

About Robert Zubrin

Robert Zubrin is an American engineer, space-exploration advocate, and science fiction author, best known for his influential work in the field of Mars exploration and resource utilization. Born on October 14, 1952, in Long Island, New York, Zubrin grew up with a strong curiosity for science and engineering. He earned his Bachelor's degree in physics from Case Western Reserve University in 1974, followed by a Master's degree in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1976. Zubrin's career began at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he worked on the Viking Mars Lander project. However, it was his vision for human exploration and settlement of Mars that truly set him apart. His book, "The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must" (1996), laid out a comprehensive plan for establishing a permanent human presence on Mars using in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology. Zubrin's ideas have been instrumental in shaping the discourse around Mars exploration, inspiring NASA's Mars Exploration Program and private space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. His advocacy led to the founding of the Mars Society in 1998, an international organization dedicated to the human exploration and settlement of Mars. As a science fiction author, Zubrin has written several novels, including "Beyond Reality: A Novel of the Mind" (1996) and "Merchants from Beyond Dreams" (2008), which explore themes of technology, consciousness, and extraterrestrial life. His most notable quote, "We went to the moon not because it was easy, but because it was hard," encapsulates his belief in the transformative potential of challenging endeavors, a theme that permeates both his scientific work and fiction. Today, Robert Zubrin continues to be a leading voice in the field of space exploration, pushing for human settlement beyond Earth and inspiring generations with his visionary ideas.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The future is not something we enter, the future is something we create."

This quote by Robert Zubrin underscores the notion that our future is not predetermined, but rather, it's a product of our actions and decisions in the present. It encourages the idea that each individual has the power to shape their own destiny and contribute to creating a better future for all. In essence, it reminds us that we are not mere spectators of time, but active participants with the potential to effect change.


"Space is not a place you go, it's a thing you do."

Robert Zubrin's quote emphasizes that space exploration is an action or activity, not just a physical destination. It suggests that the essence of space lies in our endeavors to explore, understand, and utilize it for humanity's benefit, rather than viewing it as a mere location to reach. This perspective encourages us to appreciate space exploration as a means of pushing boundaries, advancing knowledge, and fostering human progress.


"A visionary is a realist who refuses to be limited by what he sees."

This quote by Robert Zubrin suggests that visionaries are individuals who dare to imagine possibilities beyond the current limitations of their perception, while still grounded in practicality and reality. Essentially, they are dreamers who choose not to let the constraints of the present inhibit their potential for innovation and progress.


"We are a species that lives in space and our continued existence as a species will depend upon how well we learn to live in space."

This quote by Robert Zubrin underscores the idea that humanity, being an inherently spacefaring species due to its technological prowess, must continue to master the challenges of living in space for our future survival. He suggests that as we advance technologically and expand our reach beyond Earth, our ability to thrive in outer space will become crucial for our long-term existence. This emphasizes the importance of space exploration not just as an ambitious human endeavor but also as a necessity for ensuring our species' longevity on this cosmic stage.


"The exploration of Mars - not just robotic rovers, but humans - is the greatest undertaking humanity has ever attempted. We must do it, not because it is easy, but because it is hard."

This quote by Robert Zubrin emphasizes that the exploration of Mars, particularly with human endeavor, represents one of humanity's most challenging and monumental ventures. He suggests that this mission should be pursued not due to its ease, but because of its great difficulty – a testament to humankind's spirit of conquest and our innate drive to overcome obstacles. By taking on such a hard task, we demonstrate our resilience, ingenuity, and determination as a species, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and expanding our collective knowledge and understanding.


By enriching the carbon-dioxide content of the atmosphere from its impoverished pre-industrial levels, human beings have increased the productivity of the entire biosphere - so much so that roughly one out of every seven living things on the planet owes its existence to the marvelous improvement in nature that humans have effected.

- Robert Zubrin

Seven, Atmosphere, Increased, Enriching

Putting aside for the moment the question of whether human industrial CO2 emissions are having an effect on climate, it is quite clear that they are raising atmospheric CO2 levels. As a result, they are having a strong and markedly positive effect on plant growth worldwide. There is no doubt about this.

- Robert Zubrin

Strong, About, Putting, CO2

In August 1994, I was invited to have dinner with House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich. At that time, I was a senior engineer working for Martin Marietta Astronautics in Denver, where I had been responsible for inventing a new plan called 'Mars Direct.'

- Robert Zubrin

Been, Had, Direct, August

Europe certainly needs a genuine conservative movement to combat the creeping bureaucratic collectivism that is stifling the human potential of the Continent.

- Robert Zubrin

Needs, Continent, Certainly, Creeping

Trillions of dollars in out-of-control entitlement spending cannot be remedied by cuts in NASA, or even in the entire discretionary budget, defense included. Rather, the financial bleeding needs to be staunched where the hole is and nowhere else.

- Robert Zubrin

Needs, Discretionary, Out-Of-Control

I don't think we should have to do a Mars mission on the basis of hysteria. I think we should do a Mars mission on the basis of a deliberate judgment that what we want to do is open up a new planet for humanity... that we are continuing to be a nation of pioneers.

- Robert Zubrin

Think, New, Pioneers, Hysteria

Instead of forcing everyone to buy health insurance, Congress should pass a law protecting the uninsured from being charged more than the insurance companies are for a given service.

- Robert Zubrin

Insurance, Protecting, Given, Uninsured

As I explain at some length in my book 'Energy Victory,' during World War II, the American strength in oil production was a decisive advantage for the Allies. Airplanes, ships, and tanks all ran on oil, and we controlled the supply.

- Robert Zubrin

Strength, Some, Explain, Airplane

When the government mandates that everyone must buy a product, its sellers can, and will, increase its price, potentially without limit.

- Robert Zubrin

Product, Will, Everyone, Mandates

It should be noted that the EPA's banning of methanol is categorically absurd from the point of view of environmental protection.

- Robert Zubrin

Environmental, Banning, Noted

The issue comes down to this: The NSA metadata-collection program costs lots of money, and had funds not been expended on it, they could have been used to support other programs that might have been far more effective in saving American lives.

- Robert Zubrin

Other, Been, Had, Funds

Putin himself made his original fortune in the early 1990s, when he stole the funds that had been entrusted to him to buy food in Europe to relieve the starvation in Leningrad that occurred during the economic collapse following the fall of the Soviet Union.

- Robert Zubrin

Soviet Union, Been, Buy, Funds

In addition to virtually banning methanol outright, the EPA has created regulations to prevent cars from being modified by small businesses to optimize their performance, including through the use of methanol.

- Robert Zubrin

Small, Through, Including, Banning

Ireland never lacked the capacity to feed its people. During the entire 'great famine,' the island continued to produce massive amounts of beef and grain. The Irish just couldn't afford to buy any of it due to the enforcement of rack-renting, high taxation, and suppression of manufactures.

- Robert Zubrin

Irish, Beef, Buy, Ireland

The United States should give former NSA contractor Edward Snowden immunity from prosecution in exchange for congressional testimony.

- Robert Zubrin

Contractor, United States, Prosecution

Carbon is the stuff of life, and it's the stuff of everything used by human society. All of our materials are made of carbon or of substances, such as steel or glass, which are produced through the utilization of carbon.

- Robert Zubrin

Steel, Through, Which, Human Society

The problem with Russia is not corruption per se, or even Putin per se. Russian government is not corrupt because Vladimir Putin has absolute power. Russian government has been corrupt and will always be as long as anyone has absolute power.

- Robert Zubrin

Always, Corrupt, Been, Putin

In what was called the second siege of Leningrad, thousands died, but Putin and his partners in crime got rich. Then Putin killed even more Russians when he had the FSB explode bombs in apartment buildings in Moscow in 1999 to give himself the pretext to seize dictatorial powers.

- Robert Zubrin

Seize, Russians, Bombs, Putin

There is nothing 'conservative' at all about Putin's cause. What he is offering is a synthetic ideology called Eurasianism, composed for him by Dugin, as a means of uniting all the anti-Western movements of the world under Kremlin control.

- Robert Zubrin

Conservative, Nothing, Means, Putin

Western environmentalists might value their independence, but their organizations are largely donor driven, and if he wanted to, Putin could have a lot to donate.

- Robert Zubrin

Independence, Might, Could, Putin

Putin is sometimes described as a revanchist, seeking to recreate the Soviet Union. That is a useful shorthand, but it is not really accurate.

- Robert Zubrin

Soviet Union, Accurate, Putin

Putin and many of his gang may have once been Communists, but they are not that today. Rather, they have embraced a new totalitarian political ideology known as 'Eurasianism.'

- Robert Zubrin

New, Gang, Been, Putin

The Putin regime's income comes from oil and gas exports. If we could crash the price of these commodities, we could bankrupt the regime.

- Robert Zubrin

Income, Exports, Regime, Putin

In the wake of the disaster caused by Tropical Storm Sandy, various allies of the Obama campaign have rushed to claim that the event was caused by anthropogenic global warming, thereby justifying the president's program of crushing the economy with regressive carbon taxes, a supposedly necessary measure to prevent future bad weather.

- Robert Zubrin

Bad, Crushing, Supposedly, Allies

Global warming would increase the rate of evaporation from the oceans. This would increase rainfall worldwide. In addition, global warming would lengthen the growing season, thereby increasing still further the bounty of both agriculture and nature.

- Robert Zubrin

Nature, Still, Bounty, Oceans

The Earth is not endangered by humanity. But humanity is being seriously threatened by those who follow the guides of the WWF.

- Robert Zubrin

Earth, WWF, Endangered, Guides

Weather systems are natural heat engines, and like all other heat engines, both natural and artificial, they are driven not by temperature per se, but by differences in temperature between one location and another.

- Robert Zubrin

Heat, Natural, Other, Engines

Like the producers of crops, airplanes, and books, producers of natural gas provide goods to meet the size of their available market. The larger the market, the more they can produce, and the more revenue they can obtain to cover their fixed costs and invest in future development.

- Robert Zubrin

Invest, Available, Larger, Fixed

People make their own fates, and if enough of us make our fate to be space explorers, perhaps we can actually get some space exploration done.

- Robert Zubrin

Fate, Exploration, Some, Explorers

Mars is key to humanity's future in space. It is the closest planet that has all the resources needed to support life and technological civilization. Its complexity uniquely demands the skills of human explorers, who will pave the way for human settlers.

- Robert Zubrin

Civilization, Complexity, Explorers

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.