Yuri Gagarin Quotes (11 quotes) | Quotes of famous people

Yuri Gagarin: 11 quotes 19 likes

Famous Yuri Gagarin Quotes

“I looked and looked but I didn't see God.”

Yuri Gagarin

As quoted in To Rise from Earth (1996) by Wayne Lee; some websites quote him as saying "I looked and looked and looked but I didn't see God." on 14 April 1961, a couple days after his historic flight, but the authenticity of such statements have been disputed; Colonel Valentin Petrov stated in 2006 http://www.interfax-religion.ru/orthodoxy/?act=interview&div=73&domain=1 that the cosmonaut never said such words, and that the quote originated from Nikita Khrushchev's speech at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU about the state's anti-religion campaign, saying "Gagarin flew into space, but didn't see any god there." Gagarin himself was a member of the Russian Orthodox Church.
As quoted in What's Missing Inside You? (2006) by Paul Schlieker, p. 17
Disputed
Variant: No I didn't see God. I looked and looked but I didn't see God.

“I see no God up here.”

Yuri Gagarin

This has been reported as a remark Gagarin made while in orbit aboard Vostok 1, but there is no indication of it in the official transcripts of his communications. It is similar to the above statements he reportedly made after his return to earth, which might have given rise to this account.
Misattributed

“When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!”

Yuri Gagarin

Recalling his meeting with workers in a field, upon his landing, as quoted in "Life on Mars?" by Jesse Skinner in Toro magazine (14 October 2008) http://www.toromagazine.com/epigraph/d8e350a4-e3e5-2b94-5916-3c4e788b808c/Life-on-Mars/index.html

“Rays were blazing through the atmosphere of the earth, the horizon became bright orange, gradually passing into all the colors of the rainbow: from light blue to dark blue, to violet and then to black. What an indescribable gamut of colors! Just like the paintings of the artist Nicholas Roerich.”

Yuri Gagarin

Statement of April 1961, as quoted in Warrior of Light : The Life of Nicholas Roerich : Artist, Himalayan explorer and visionary (2002) by Colleen Messina, p. 46

“If all those people are getting wet to welcome me, surely the least I can do is get wet too!”

Yuri Gagarin

Statement of April 1961, as quoted in Warrior of Light : The Life of Nicholas Roerich : Artist, Himalayan explorer and visionary (2002) by Colleen Messina, p. 46

“First words upon returning to Earth, to a woman and a girl near where his capsule landed (12 April 1961) The woman asked: "Can it be that you have come from outer space?" to which Gagarin replied: "As a matter of fact, I have!" As quoted in The Air Up There : More Great Quotations on Flight (2003) by Dave English, p. 118”

Yuri Gagarin

Rays were blazing through the of the earth, the horizon became bright orange, gradually passing into all the colors of the rainbow: from light blue to dark blue, to violet and then to black. What an indescribable gamut of colors! Just like the paintings of the artist Nicholas Roerich.

Yuri Gagarin Quotes

“Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it!”

Yuri Gagarin

Облетев Землю в корабле-спутнике, я увидел, как прекрасна наша планета. Люди, будем хранить и преумножать эту красоту, а не разрушать её!

Russian phrase, handwritten and signed after his historic spaceflight, photo of facsimile published in Syny goluboi planety 3rd.edition (1981) by L. Lebedev, A. Romanov, and B/ Luk'ianov; the first edition was translated into English as Sons of the Blue Planet (1973) by L. A. Lebedev

People , Beauty

“I enjoyed the rich color spectrum of the earth. It is surrounded by a light blue aureole that gradually darkens, becoming turquiose, dark blue, violet, and finally coal black.”

Yuri Gagarin

As quoted in Earth's Aura (1977) by Louise B. Young
Context: What beauty. I saw clouds and their light shadows on the distant dear earth.... The water looked like darkish, slightly gleaming spots.... When I watched the horizon, I saw the abrupt, contrasting transition from the earth's light-colored surface to the absolutely black sky. I enjoyed the rich color spectrum of the earth. It is surrounded by a light blue aureole that gradually darkens, becoming turquiose, dark blue, violet, and finally coal black.

Color , Light

“The main force in man — is the power of the spirit.”

Yuri Gagarin

Ведь главная сила в человеке — это сила духа.
Variant translation: The main human strength is willpower.
As quoted in Essays on Marxist-Leninist Ethics [марксистско-ленинской этике] (1962) by Simon S. Utkin [Семен Семенович Уткин], p. 180

“If all those people are getting wet to welcome me, surely the least I can do is get wet too!”

Yuri Gagarin

Asking for the roof of his car to be put back despite the pouring rain, during his visit to Manchester (12 July 1961), as quoted in "Yuri Gagarin: Mankind's first giant leap" in The Economist (3 August 2011) http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2011/08/yuri-gagarin?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/mankindsfirstgiantleap

People

“Let's go!”

Yuri Gagarin

Russian: Поéхали, Poyekhali!

Uttered during the launch of Vostok 1 (12 April 1961); quoted by Sergey Viktorovich Novikov, in Большая историческая энциклопедия (The Greater Historical Encyclopedia) (2003) by Olma Media Group, p, 943

Variant translations: Let's ride!

Let's drive!

Off we go!