Quotes from John Glenn

We're not up there in space just to joyride around. We're up there to do things that are of value to everybody right here on Earth.

To me, we have never really exploited our ability in low-Earth orbit.

As far as entertainment, 'The Right Stuff' is a good movie. As far as a documentary of the early space days, which they purported it to be, it is not at all.

It has been my observation that the happiest of people, the vibrant doers of the world, are almost always those who are using - who are putting into play, calling upon, depending upon-the greatest number of their God-given talents and capabilities.

The best space movie in my view is 'Apollo 13.' That's just the way it happened.

There is still no cure for the common birthday.

An end of something means the beginning of something else, and I don't think that something else is going to be the death of the manned space program.

America had an emphasis on the individual and so education became available for everyone.

There is still no cure for the common birthday.

As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.

I guess the question I'm asked the most often is: When you were sitting in that capsule listening to the count-down, how did you feel? Well, the answer to that one is easy. I felt exactly how you would feel if you were getting ready to launch and knew you were sitting on top of two million parts -- all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract.

If there's one thing I've learned in my years on this planet, it's that the happiest and most fulfilled people are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self-interest.

To look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is to me impossible.

Love is a combination of friendship, passion, and respect.

We are more fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves.

The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel. John Glenn

Fear connotes something that interferes with what you're doing.

When you're a combat pilot, you believe you're the best in the air. If you do, you're not cocky, you're combat-ready. If you don't, you'd better find another line of work.

The moment of twilight is simply beautiful.

We were there to do what had to be done. Using napalm didn't fit with peacetime sensitivities, but peace and a return to the sensitivities that it permitted were what we were fighting to achieve.

Fear connotes something that interferes with what you're doing.

We had a lot of confidence that there was going to be a successful mission. We weren't off on some suicide effort, certainly [with Friendship 7].

Too many people, when they get old, think that they have to live by the calendar.