For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.

The line juxtaposes human smallness against cosmic immensity, a hallmark of Sagan’s “cosmic perspective.” It suggests that scientific awareness of the universe’s scale can be emotionally daunting—producing awe, insignificance, even existential vertigo. “Love” functions as the counterweight: the intimate bonds and ethical concern that make meaning possible despite our physical minuteness. The quote thus bridges Sagan’s scientific worldview with a humanistic one, implying that knowledge alone is not enough; we also need connection and compassion to live well within the vast, indifferent cosmos.