# Every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring for the most practical reason… by Carl Sagan > "Every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive." > **— Carl Sagan**, *Pale Blue Dot (1994), compressed candidate wording* Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: Pale Blue Dot (1994), compressed candidate wording.