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 Interstellar's main characters. Many of the core relationships in the film change drastically as the story progresses and several trusted characters are exposed as liars, with certain quotes taking 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.
20 "There Are Some Things That Aren't Meant To Be Known."
Dr. Mann
When Cooper and the others arrive on Dr. Mann's planet, they also make another startling discovery that Professor Brand had lied about the truth of the mission and that there were never plans for the rest of humanity to escape Earth. Mann confirms this by revealing Brand solved his equation years ago but lacked the knowledge from within the black hole to give them the answers they needed.
Mann suggests that the black hole simply represents one of those aspects of life that are meant to remain a mystery. While this is an idea that might sound logical when he says it, it is not the viewpoint that the movie takes. Interstellar is a celebration of exploration, so the idea that there are some things that cannot be known is not an idea Cooper is willing to accept, and indeed, he does find those answers.
19 "He Knew How Hard It Would Be To Get People To Work Together To Save The Species Instead Of Themselves."
Dr. Mann
While Professor Brand is shown to be filled with guilt over misleading Cooper and the entire human race with his proposed rescue mission, Mann is emotionless and disionate in his view on the matter. He explains it to Cooper and the others as if it was the logical step to take. While it cements him more as the movie's villain, he also makes some interesting points about the nature of humanity.
When Amelia questions why they had to lie and continue to have society working towards a survival plan that was never going to happen, Mann suggests that manipulating the population was the only way to ensure they worked together for a common goal. Knowing that their actions would only benefit generations of humanity that they would never see, Mann suggested people just wouldn't care enough to help ensure humanity lived on.
18 "I Don't Care Much For This Pretending. We're Back Where We Started. I Want To Know Where We Are. Where We're Going."
Joseph Cooper
When Cooper is rescued from the black hole, he is introduced to the new existence of the human race, having taken the information he sent to Murph and used it to save the population. Cooper is welcomed to the new life with a replication of his old one. He finds that the farm he and his family lived on has been recreated on this colony. While it is a nice gesture to the man who helped save everyone, Cooper is not one for nostalgia.
He maintains the perspective he has had throughout the entire movie, championing the idea of exploration rather than complacency. He is not interested in reviving the life he had in the past. He now finds himself in a future he never could have dreamed of and he wants to explore that.
17 "You Said Science Was About itting 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 ed 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 Interstellar 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 faith that they would see each other again.
16 "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 Interstellar 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.
15 "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 ing 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.
14 "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 was 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.
13 "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 circumstances provoke extraordinary acts, which makes it a very inspiring quote that's given by a very villainous character.
12 "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.
11 "Let Me Go Home."
Joseph Cooper
Cooper is presented with an impossible choice and chooses to attempt to save his children's future at the risk of never seeing them again. However, while he ultimately makes that choice, Interstellar keeps the decision at the forefront of Cooper's journey in the movie. Every moment he is in space is taking away time with his children and every misstep costs him seeing them again. However, the real emotional blow comes when Cooper learns he was never going to save their future.
After Mann details the truth behind the mission, Amelia comforts Cooper and asks what she can do to help him. Immediately, his one thought is to return to his home. It is a powerful human moment within the sci-fi story as Cooper is ready to return to his doomed planet so long as he can face its end with his children.
