Beyond his famous "One small step" saying from the moon, the late astronaut offered a variety of inspirational quotes.
I was a young blade at the time of the first lunar landing and Neil Armstrong's original moonwalk. I ran to the house from the school bus on the day of the landing. I remember that my Father, Mother and Brother and I sat transfixed in front of the TV with the jerky figures of Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin moving around on the surface, with the flag sticking out. I was sitting on the floor right underneath my Dad who was perched on the edge of his easy chair.
I recall Dad being very quiet and mindful of what was being described on TV. Then when Neil Armstrong started down the ladder, I felt a tremor run through my Dad. When he made his famous speech, I felt something wet drop onto the top of my head - I turned to see tears coming from (my otherwise stoic) father's eyes and rolling over his cheeks.
My Dad would later say, "Even serving in the war (WWII) paled in comparison." He was never more proud of being an American than on the day we landed on the moon.
Beyond “One small step,” Armstrong offered a number of other keepers over the years that can inspire anyone. Here are eight of them:
On hard work
“I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks, but for the ledger of our daily work.” – From a 2005 “60 Minutes” interview
On wonderment
“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand.” – From James R. Hansen’s biography of Armstrong, “First Man"
On hard work, part II
“Lunar exploration was a great deal of fun and an enormous amount of very hard work, which proves, I hope, that hard work can also be fun.”
On humility
“Well, I think we tried very hard not to be overconfident, because when you get overconfident, that's when something snaps up and bites you.”
My Dad would later say, "Even serving in the war (WWII) paled in comparison." He was never more proud of being an American than on the day we landed on the moon.
The death of Neil Armstrong over the weekend triggered a lot of memories for me as well as discussion in the media. Of course, as the first man to the walk on the moon, Armstrong is a household name, as is his famous saying: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Beyond “One small step,” Armstrong offered a number of other keepers over the years that can inspire anyone. Here are eight of them:
On hard work
“I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks, but for the ledger of our daily work.” – From a 2005 “60 Minutes” interview
On wonderment
“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand.” – From James R. Hansen’s biography of Armstrong, “First Man"
On hard work, part II
“Lunar exploration was a great deal of fun and an enormous amount of very hard work, which proves, I hope, that hard work can also be fun.”
On humility
“Well, I think we tried very hard not to be overconfident, because when you get overconfident, that's when something snaps up and bites you.”
On motivation
“I think we're going to the moon because it's in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It's by the nature of his deep inner soul ... we're required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream.”
On extending the boundaries of knowledge
“At the edges [of knowledge] it's always going to be a challenge.”
On taking chances
“There can be no great accomplishment without risk.” – His response when told that President Kennedy had been advised not to go to the moon
On going to the moon
“It's an interesting place to be. I recommend it.” – From the same 2005 “60 Minutes” interview
All the success!
Peter Mclees
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