Neil deGrasse Tyson saves the Universe…from confusion!

5 min readApr 13, 2021

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Key Takeaways

Neil’s wine advice: match the food you’re eating with a wine from the same culture
Italian wine with Italian meals
French wine with French meals
Neil defines leadership as people who serve others and gain followers as a result

“If I have as many followers as I do, it’s because I’m feeding people” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil is glad he didn’t get famous overnight because since his rise in fame came slowly, it allowed him to make slight adjustments over time

“I have learned to deal with the fame” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

Fame is a double-edged sword:
Fame often leads to wealth because as you get more famous, you get more opportunities
But you lose the ability to do normal things like go shopping in a store or tour a museum without having people come up to you
Because of his skin color, Neil had to work even harder to get to where he is today. People may think Neil was born gifted, but he contributes his success solely to hard work.
For instance, he studied Jon Stewart to watch how often Jon interrupted his guests and how he included current events in the show. As a result, Neil was invited back on the show 14 times.
If someone’s ritual or religion doesn’t take away from your freedom or harm you, they should be able to do what they want

“The whole point of living in the United States of f*cking America is that people have free expression of religion” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

Every day, Neil tries to become a slightly better person by learning something new

“Any day that goes by where I don’t learn something is a wasted day”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson (T: @neiltyson, IG: @neildegrassetyson) is probably the most famous astrophysicist of all time
He’s the author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and Letters from an Astrophysicist
Check out his podcast — Star Talk
Host: Dr. Brian Keating (@DrBrianKeating)

Neil deGrasse Tyson enjoys wine not just for the taste or science behind it, but he also enjoys sharing it with others
There’s also something peaceful about wine, you never see a bar fight happen because two men drank too much wine
Dom Pérignon is named after Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk who was an important quality pioneer for Champagne wine.
When Dom tasted his creation, he said “I am tasting the stars!”
Neil’s wine advice: match the food you’re eating with a wine from the same culture
Italian wine with Italian meals
French wine with French meals

President Lincoln is known for several accomplishments but one of his achievements that don’t get much recognition is founding the National Academy of Sciences
Neil wrote a short and eloquent piece on this valuable contribution to society which was later illustrated as a video
Neil defines leadership as people who serve others and gain followers as a result

“If I have as many followers as I do, it’s because I’m feeding people”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson

According to Google searches, Neil deGrasse Tyson may be the most famous scientist of all time
Neil doesn’t like it when people come up to him asking for a photo or autograph because it means they see him as a personality figure instead of a scientist
Neil is glad he didn’t get famous overnight because since his rise in fame came slowly, it allowed him to make slight adjustments over time

“I have learned to deal with the fame” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

Fame is a double-edged sword:
Fame often leads to wealth because as you get more famous, you get more opportunities
But you lose the ability to do normal things like go shopping in a store or tour a museum without having people come up to you
Whenever someone approaches Neil, he’s always thinking what how to block or respond to that person if they try to lunge or attack him

Growing up, Neil didn’t have any teachers who really believe in him and expected great things from him

“I was never considered a great student by teachers” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

He SATs scores were okay but not exceptional. 15 years later, the SATs asked if they could use an excerpt from Neil’s writing on the verbal part of the SATs.
Because of his skin color, Neil had to work even harder to get to where he is today. People may think Neil was born gifted, but he contributes his success solely to hard work.
For instance, he studied Jon Stewart to watch how often Jon interrupted his guests and how he included current events in the show. As a result, Neil was invited back on the show 14 times.

Rituals bind people as community and it’s important to respect other people’s cultures whether or not you believe in it
When filming Cosmos, Neil was asked by one of the Native American chiefs to join him for a prayer and Neil agreed even though he didn’t believe in the ritual
If someone’s ritual or religion doesn’t take away from your freedom or harm you, they should be able to do what they want

“The whole point of living in the United States of f*cking America is that people have free expression of religion” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

Every day, Neil tries to become a slightly better person by learning something new

You want to learn something new every day so that over the years you accrue tons of wisdom.
How will Neil judge his life? If his contribution made the world a slightly better place, he’ll be satisfied with his life.

“What matters is I have helped others lead scientifically enlightened lives” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil used to wrestle in high school and college
How to be less racist, whenever you’re talking to a person of color ask yourself: Would you say the same thing if this person was white? If not, don’t say it. “I think that’s the litmus test” — Neil deGrasse Tyson