15 Best 'Interstellar' Quotes, Ranked

Interstellar is one of Christopher Nolan's best films. With its stunning visuals and emotionally charged plot, Interstellar is one of the best sci-fi movies of the 2010s. The movie is set in a dystopian future where blight and dust are consuming the Earth. A team of astronauts—including former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), Dr. Brand (Anne Hathaway), and Professor Romilly (David Gyasi)—are sent by Professor Brand (Michael Caine) to find a livable planet to be humanity's new home and retrieve the Lazarus astronauts who vanished years ago into a wormhole near Saturn.

The science behind the plot makes fans think, and it is pretty accurate, largely thanks to Nolan bringing an astrophysicist as a consultant. Ultimately, the beauty of this film is not just in its science but how it illustrates humanity's resilience in the face of great challenges. Christopher Nolan and his brother, Jonathan Nolan, wrote the script for Interstellar, putting thought and meaning behind every action and dialogue. There is weight behind each and every word said within the movie, and the best quotes from Interstellar spark conversations and make fans think.

15 "This world's a treasure, but it's been telling us to leave for a while now."

Professor John Brand (Michael Caine)

In what becomes one of the most defining moments of Interstellar, Professor Brand, convincingly played by Michael Caine, explains this to his colleague, Joseph Cooper. With respect to the film’s setting, the professor points out the dire situations on Earth, from natural calamities to agricultural failures, environmental disasters, and depletion of resources, that have made the planet unlivable. Hence, Brand urges Cooper to assemble a team and search for an alternative habitat in the endless space, thus setting the story in motion.

The above statement also holds significance and weight, not only in the context of the film but also as a reminder of the reality that mankind is facing. While Brand acknowledges the inherent beauty of Earth and its contribution to the existence of humans, it has ceased to be the same. With the planet’s resources exploited to the maximum and the climate deteriorating, mankind is nearing extinction and must seek a new home among the stars to save its future.

14 "It's not possible. No, it's necessary."

CASE (Josh Stewart) and Cooper (Matthew McConaughey)

On his deep space mission to save humanity, astronaut Joseph Cooper is tasked with docking the ship’s lander, Ranger, on the damaged and fast-spinning spacecraft, Endurance. With Endurance moving faster than expected, the ship’s computer system, CASE calculates the impossibility of the task and responds to Cooper’s command. But Cooper, an eternally hopeful and determined pilot, confirms that as unviable as it may sound, docking the Ranger is a necessity for the bigger purpose of the mission.

The above statement is also philosophical in the context of the film and highlights how a seemingly undoable task must sometimes be fulfilled at any cost, thus proving that necessity often supersedes perceived limitations. While CASE, as a machine, mathematically calculates the probability and improbability of every decision, a human perception, like Cooper’s, sees the larger goal, improvising on the situation. This ability of humans to challenge established rules and perceptions and push beyond impossibility also makes Interstellar one of the most thought-provoking sci-fi films.

13 "We are the ghosts of our children's future."

Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey)

Cooper is a widower raising his children, Tom (Tomothée Chalamet) and Murph (Mackenzie Foy), after his wife passed away from cancer. As Cooper is getting ready to leave for the mission, he goes to say goodbye to a distraught Murph. While he is trying his best to comfort Murph, he remembers something his wife once told him: parents serve as memories for their children, suddenly understanding what she meant.

This quote is a metaphor representing a child's relationship with their parents once they pass away. Children develop memories of their parents over time, and when they pass away, only the memories linger, which can be as powerful as any interaction. Those memories are carried with the children into the future. Time is a major theme in Interstellar, and memories are often associated with specific times in a person's life.

12 "I stopped believing you were coming back. Something seemed wrong about dreaming my life away."

Professor Romilly (David Gyasi)

Professor Romilly is a physicist who joins Cooper on the mission to the wormhole. After they successfully pass through the wormhole, Cooper, Dr. Brand, and Doyle (Wes Bentley) leave the Endurance to explore Miller's planet, and Romilly stays behind to work on research related to the black hole they have discovered. Time moves differently on the planet, and by the time Cooper and Brand return, it has been 23 years, and Romilly has aged.

It is apparent from this quote that he had faith that they would return, but his faith disappeared as time passed. His isolation and worry caused him to give up his faith that his colleagues would return. Aboard the Endurance, Romilly had the technology to "sleep" and preserve his age, but he chose not to do it the entire time. To Romilly, it didn't feel normal to pause his life and just dream. This quote speaks to the human desire to contribute and belong, with Romilly choosing to spend his time on his research because it made him feel like he was helping out his crew, even though he didn't know what was going on with their mission away to Miller's planet.

11 "The world doesn't need any more engineers. We didn't run out of planes and television sets. We ran out of food."

Principal (David Oyelowo)

Coop is a proud engineer and former pilot who loves science and data. While he had to become a farmer, Cooper is still proud to brag about his engineering skills. In a meeting with the school principal (David Oyelowo) and Murph's teacher, the principal dismisses Cooper's former job as an engineer. The blight caused a lot of people to pivot their skills to different jobs to keep society running. Based on this quote, it's obvious that the principal doesn't believe there is value in engineering anymore because the world's population is starving, and basic survival is the top priority.

The blight and dust storms are catastrophic events that cause Interstellar's plot. The need for survival outweighed the desire for technological advancements as consumerism collapsed and humanity turned to meet their basic needs. People became more concerned about putting food on the table, and due to the demand for food, jobs shifted. Innovation wasn't something humanity could afford to pursue anymore. It's an inspired approach for a sci-fi movie, strengthening Interstellar's themes of human endurance and perseverance.

10 "There Are Some Things That Aren't Meant To Be Known."

Dr. Hugh Mann (Matt Damon)

When Cooper and his team arrive at the icy planet, they are shocked to learn the truth about their mission from Dr. Mann, played by Matt Damon, a NASA astronaut surviving alone on the planet for many years. Contrary to what Professor Brand promised, Cooper, Dr. Brand and their crew were never meant to help escape humanity but gather knowledge from within the black hole.

Even though, in the context of Interstellar, the quote does not hold much weight, it is still a profound perspective on life. In the film, Mann suggests to Cooper and Dr. Brand that understanding the black hole and what lies within and beyond it is better left unexplored. Per his logic, trying to find that unknown will exploit endless resources that could be used to save marooned astronauts like him or save the future of humanity. Simultaneously, the above quote also refers to the infinite, improbable universe, which is impossible for humanity to fathom completely, and perhaps better left unknown.

9 "We've always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible."

Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey)

The above statement makes for one of the most memorable quotes of Interstellar and very relevant in the context of Christopher Nolan’s award-winning film. Ironically, the quote does not appear in the film, but is only featured in the trailer. A part of Cooper’s elaborate monologue, this sentence summarizes why he should go on the impossible mission, while also addressing the miraculous ability of humanity.

When faced with a difficult decision, Cooper explains that the very inherent nature of mankind is to always strive for the impossible and “make the unknown known.” Time and again, we have proven our ability to surpass our own expectations through constant innovation and discovery. It is this inherent nature of us that separates us from other species. Through this monologue, Nolan proves that beyond the hard space fiction elements, Interstellar is, after all, a celebration of human civilization and our ability to push forward towards the unknown and grow.

8 "A machine doesn't improvise well because you cannot program a fear of death. Our survival instinct is our greatest source of inspiration."

Dr. Hugh Mann (Matt Damon)

Dr. Mann (Matt Damon) and Cooper take a walk around the icy wasteland of the planet Mann has been living on for years. As they explore the terrain, Mann compares machines to humans. There is significant emotional weight behind this quote: Mann has been alone for a long time without human connection and doesn't think machines can survive because they lack the emotions to understand death. There is a longing and desperation that comes with survival, something Mann knows all too well. Ultimately, Mann's survival instinct causes him to lash out.

Survival is a major theme in Interstellar. People are trying to survive on Earth, and as the last of the Lazarus astronauts, Mann is trying to survive by himself. Adaptation is needed for survival. A fear of death drives people to push through challenging circumstances because their will to live is strong. Like other movies, Interstellar is concerned with humanity's relationship with technology. Humans in Interstellar all have different opinions about machines, and most people would probably agree with Mann's views. Cooper definitely doesn't, especially after befriending TARS and CASE, believing machines need to learn how to adapt.

7 "I'm not afraid of death. I'm an old physicist—I'm afraid of time."

Professor John Brand (Michael Caine)

Professor John Brand is the head of the "new" NASA, and eventually, he becomes a mentor to an adult Murph (Jessica Chastain). He has dedicated his life to studying science. Time might seem like a straightforward concept, but to physicists, it is more complex than that. There are many theories about how time works, and one of the most well-known is about how "time is relative" and changes depending on what a person's frame of reference is. Time can move slower or faster depending on speed and gravity.

Time becomes a fear for Cooper and his colleagues on the Endurance. Death is scary, but time is just as horrific. While Interstellar isn't a horror movie, it treats time like an unseen villain lurking in every corner and always one step ahead. It is hard to predict what the outcome of time might be, and that is what makes it so unsettling.

6 "We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt."

Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey)

Before the blight, humanity went through a time of discovery and exploration. In the past, people were interested in space, and resources were spent learning about the universe. Society's priorities changed eventually, and space travel became a relic of the past.

There is a stark contrast between the "wonder" of the stars and the "dirt" in this quote. The word choice shows how much Cooper values space exploration. People are looking down at the dirt because it is all that they can think about with the blight causing stress on the world's food supply. The dust represents humanity's humble beginnings, which might ironically represent their resting place. Ambition and a desire to grow were once humanity's driving force, and to see those sentiments all but gone is both sobering and terrifying.