Interstellar: 15 Powerful Quotes That Make You Think (2024)

The best Interstellar quotes not only sum up the themes of the movie but are generally thought-provoking lines. Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and his daughter Murph (Jessica Chastain) are only two of the highly intelligent characters that make up the core cast of the movie. With scientists, astronauts, and advanced robots as the main characters, Interstellar is bursting with smart dialogue about scientific and philosophical concepts.

As a black hole and a wormhole in space feature prominently in the movie's plot, there's a lot of theoretical science being mentioned in the dialogue throughout Interstellar. However, the best quotes offer deep insights into the minds of the Interstellar main characters. Many of the core relationships in the film change drastically as the story progresses and several trusted characters are exposed as liars, and certain quotes take on a different meaning once their lies have been discovered. Dissecting some of the most memorable Interstellar quotes can therefore uncover some hidden details within the film.

15 "You Said Science Was About Admitting What We Don't Know."

Murphy Cooper

Joseph Cooper's relationship with his daughter, Murphy, forms the foundation of what Interstellar is all about, and the ways in which they inspire each other to do good things begins and ends with Murphy's trusting nature towards her father. The knowledge passed between parent and child in the movie cuts both ways, which this Interstellar quote shows as Murph reminds Cooper of something that he once taught her.

Most interestingly, this happens near the beginning of the film and foreshadows Murphy being older than her father by the end of the film due to the influence of the black hole, becoming a wise figure who advises him by the end. It also speaks to the idea of fate in this story and that Cooper had to venture into the unknown while Murph had to wait behind not knowing when he would return with nothing but the faith that they would see each other again.

14 "We Didn't Run Out Of Television Screens And Planes, We Ran Out Of Food."

School Principal

A number of interesting ideas are brought up throughout Interstellar and not just by characters who work in some kind of scientific field. Even though some characters' beliefs and actions aren't heroic or even cast in a positive light, they are still reasoned by the characters themselves. The teachers at Cooper's local high school, for example, are somewhat villainous and ignorant yet have a logic behind their policies.

In this thought-provoking Interstellar quote, the school's principal (David Oyelowo) reminds Cooper why farmers have become more important than engineers in their world. There have been a lot of movies about the end of the world, but Nolan approaches it in a much different way than the usual overly dramatic ideas with the world simply changing gradually, reshaping the priorities of the human race. It becomes purely about survival rather than advancement.

13 "Don't Trust The Right Thing Done For The Wrong Reason. The Why Of The Thing, That's The Foundation."

Donald

Joseph Cooper's father-in-law, Donald (John Lithgow), provides an interesting counterbalance to Cooper's wide-eyed star-gazing with a realistic approach to life that keeps Coop more grounded. As this Interstellar quote shows, his character, though not as prominent as many other supporting roles, is an interesting juxtaposition to other authority figures throughout the story such as the seemingly wise Professor Brand (Michael Caine) and the ultimately villainous Dr. Mann (Matt Damon), whose big words turn out to be little more than lies told to help them in avoiding harsh realities.

Donald is an older man with more experience and an oddly positive outlook on the world as it is. He questions if Cooper is right to leave his family behind because he thinks this mission is the right thing to do. However, "the foundation" Donald speaks of ends up being his children's future which is reason enough for Cooper to risk taking part in the mission.

12 "Accident Is The First Building Block Of Evolution."

Dr. Amelia Brand

Many mistakes happen throughout Interstellar's story, and many characters feel deep regret over their actions and how things turn out. Yet, in keeping with the idea of fate, all of these accidents lead to the mission being a success. Humanity not only survives but changes into something potentially greater. While there was no way of knowing if that is how things would unfold when they started the mission, one member of the crew simply saw the potential in every misstep.

Dr. Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway) reminds the audience of the scientific principle behind this as she explains why the presence of a black hole has prevented certain worlds near it from being habitable for humans. Without sudden events like asteroid strikes, that would have been sucked into the black hole, the planets haven't had the same kind of transformative events as Earth.

11 "Our Survival Instinct Is Our Single Greatest Source Of Inspiration."

Dr. Mann

Though he's ultimately revealed to be one of the most villainous characters from Christopher Nolan's movies, Dr. Mann is fittingly convincing as a hopeful and selfless astronaut until he shows his true colors. Even knowing the planet he was on was inhabitable, Mann sent for the rest of the team with falsified data simply because he did not want to die alone on this planet. This Interstellar quote comes as he explains to Cooper why robots weren't sent on the movie's perilous colonization missions.

He says that their lack of a fear of death prevents them from performing well in situations that require improvisation. Similar to Brand's observation about accidents and evolution, it reminds the audience that struggles in extraordinary circ*mstances provoke extraordinary acts, which makes it a very inspiring quote that's given by a very villainous character.

10 "You Might Have To Decide Between Seeing Your Children Again And The Future Of The Human Race."

Dr. Amelia Brand

Drama is all about stakes, and the stakes laid out by Dr. Amelia Brand in this Interstellar quote are about as high as they get. When trying to decide which planet they should venture to next, Cooper suggests subjectively that Mann's proposed planet offers the best chance while Brand wants to go to Edmunds' planet because she is in love with the astronaut who is already there.

While it might seem like a selfish decision, Brand reminds Cooper that, if Mann's planet doesn't work out, they will only have enough fuel to either venture to Edmunds' plant or go home, but not both. Choosing between their own family and the survival of the species is the most difficult decision a person could be expected to make and the gravity of the movie’s premise and its characters’ mission really settles in with this quote. It is also a reminder that, despite the rational thinking necessary for the mission, these people ultimately must follow their hearts.

9 "We Must Reach Far Beyond Our Own Lifespans."

Professor Brand

Whenever Joseph Cooper and Professor Brand converse in the film it's a meeting of two great minds with conflicting ideas. Upon meeting, Brand attempts to convince Cooper to undertake this mission that will save the future of humanity. He insists that the salvation of the species relies on them being able to think beyond themselves and consider what is necessary for the rest of the people who will follow.

Of course, this is hard for Cooper to do because leaving on this mission will mean leaving behind his children. However, Brand suggests that they are the reason he should leave, echoing Cooper's later conversation with Donald. It's a particularly interesting Interstellar quote because the gist of it turns out to not be as inspiring as it first sounds, as Professor Brand gives up on saving the humans on Earth. It turns out to be Cooper and Amelia's desire to see their loved ones again that saves humanity.

8 "Murphy’s Law Doesn’t Mean That Something Bad Will Happen. It Means That Whatever Can Happen Will Happen."

Joseph Cooper

Murphy is named after Murphy’s law, the philosophical idea that if something can happen then it will happen. At one point, Murph asks her dad, “Dad, why did you and Mom name me after something that’s bad?” and Cooper explains that Murphy’s law isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Though the concept ties into the film's overall themes and scientific principles, Interstellar quotes like these remind the audience that the movie is all about hope.

Though the odds are all stacked against her, Murph finds the solution no one else can see in a hopeless situation and saves humanity. However, even more unlikely, Cooper is able to keep the promise he made to his daughter that he would see her again. By the end of Interstellar, it becomes clear that, despite the uncertainty both Cooper and Murph had, their meeting again was already inevitable and would happen.

7 "I Have A Cue Light I Can Use To Show You When I’m Joking, If You Like."

TARS

TARS is believable as an A.I. mimicking human characteristics but still gets some of the funniest lines in the movie, often using sarcasm to try and lighten the mood and even straying into some dark humor. TARS quips with Cooper how he can use his cue light to signify that he's kidding around because his robotic voice doesn't lend itself well to the inflections required to tell certain jokes, but his deadpan delivery and lagging cue light only serve to make him all the funnier.

Christopher Nolan movies can sometimes be criticized for lacking humor. It is true that the lighter moments are not a strong aspect of the acclaimed filmmaker's work, but TARS ends up being a perfect instrument for Nolan to be a little funnier. The dry and emotionless sense of humor of the robot fits perfectly to add well-placed laughs in the serious space adventure.

6 "Once You’re A Parent, You’re The Ghost Of Your Children’s Future."

Joseph Cooper

Interstellar is a science fiction epic from the point of view of a family. Even with the epic nature of the space mission Cooper goes on, the family drama is one of the most compelling aspects of the story and Nolan does a terrific job making the audience care about this. This is established in the way Cooper is looking out for the future of his kids early on in the movie.

The final scene between Cooper and Murph before he leaves is heartbreaking as both of them want nothing more than for him to stay. However, he uses this thought-provoking line to explain to her why he is choosing to leave. Cooper is saying that his only mission in life is to ensure his children have a future. Of course, the line is also a brilliant way of foreshadowing the twist in the movie as Cooper is revealed to be the "ghost" who was communicating with Murph.

5 "Mankind Was Born On Earth. It Was Never Meant To Die Here."

Joseph Cooper

The future presented in Interstellar finds the world in decline and the population of Earth looking to hang onto what they have. It is a survival mentality in the face of a devastating future which is understandable. However, it is also a view that Cooper often pushes back against and is part of what motivates him to leave Earth behind in search of a new planet. In his eyes, there are more possibilities among the stars than on their home planet.

It is an interesting idea to present in a movie like this. There are so many end-of-the-world stories that are dedicated to the idea of saving the planet. However, Cooper suggests that the path they find themselves on, leaving Earth to find a new planet, was inevitable for the human race. It is an exhilarating idea that, as humanity continues to advance, they may find themselves outliving the planet.

4 "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

While Joseph Cooper's wide-eyed qualities aren't always admirable, his frustrations are often relatable. He sees an apathetic world around him that's ignoring its real problems, and he's not completely wrong. It's an inspirational Interstellar quote in many ways, but it's also quite a depressing one from another perspective as it shows Cooper's contempt for "the dirt," which symbolizes not just his life as a farmer but his responsibilities as a father, which keep from the freedom he finds up in the sky when he's flying.

Interstellar has a lot of different themes and profound things to say, but Nolan seems to be using the movie partially to inspire and encourage innovation. Cooper laments humanity losing their sense of discovery and achieving new things. Even when he finds himself in the future, he is uninterested in how they have recreated the feel of life on Earth, pointing out that he would rather see where they heading rather than look back.

3 "You’re Telling Me It Takes Two Numbers To Measure Your Own Ass But Only One To Measure My Son’s Future?"

Joseph Cooper

In an early scene set on Earth, Cooper meets with the principal of his kids’ school, discussing Tom's future path. They insist he is meant to be a farmer based on his scoring. But then Cooper asks, “What’s your waistline? What 32, 33 inseam?” before delivering this hilarious takedown of their attempts to paint his son into a box based on some test scores.

Tom, played by both Timothee Chalamet and Casey Affleck, is a smaller character in the movie but an oddly heartbreaking one. Despite Cooper fighting for him in this scene, this is a moment that really seals his sad fate. Tom takes on the task of a "caretaker" something Cooper always disliked and felt was pointless. However, it is a path that Tom was placed on from an early age and could never escape. This early scene ultimately leads to Tom staying behind on Earth in Interstellar's ending.

2 "We’ve Always Defined Ourselves By The Ability To Overcome The Impossible."

Joseph Cooper

One of the most memorable quotes in Interstellar doesn't actually appear in the movie: it's solely featured in the trailer. For all of its lofty sci-fi concepts and depictions of distant planets, Interstellar never loses sight of the simple human drama at its core. Cooper explains the miracle of humanity in a great monologue focusing on the ways civilization has always strived to reach for the impossible. Many of the situations that Cooper faces in the movie seem impossible to overcome, but he finds a way to survive and that's a part of what makes the film such an engaging thriller.

The stakes keep getting higher, but the characters keep rising to the occasion too. The movie is a celebration of human civilization, despite all of its flaws. The character of Mann represents the wrong thinking of the species, being ruled by fear and wanting to return to what is comfortable while Cooper is the hero who wants to push forward and embrace the unknown.

1 "Love Is The One Thing We're Capable Of Perceiving That Transcends Dimensions Of Time And Space."

Dr. Amelia Brand

This Interstellar quote would come off as corny if it didn’t compliment the themes of the movie so well, or if it wasn’t delivered as beautifully as it is by Anne Hathaway in the role of Amelia Brand. She also adds, “Maybe we should trust that, even if we can’t yet understand it.” The whole conversation between Cooper and Brand that the quote comes from is interesting because it’s two scientific minds grappling with the non-scientific concept of love and trying to understand it.

While Brand approaches love from the perspective of an intangible force that must have meaning, Cooper views the emotion through its ability to impact society. In the end, it is his love for Murph that ends up saving humanity. While the quote has been somewhat divisive, many also view Brand's speech as one of the best scenes in Interstellar.

Interstellar

PG-13

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

• stream
• rent
• buy

From Christopher Nolan, Interstellar imagines a future where the Earth is plagued by a life-threatening famine, and a small team of astronauts is sent out to find a new prospective home among the stars. Despite putting the mission first, Coop (Matthew McConaughey) races against time to return home to his family even as they work to save mankind back on Earth.

Director

Christopher Nolan

Release Date

November 7, 2014

Writers

Christopher Nolan , Jonathan Nolan

Cast

Anne Hathaway , Matthew McConaughey , Jessica Chastain , Ellen Burstyn , Michael Caine , Bill Irwin

Runtime

2h 49m