― Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC – 65 AD) usually known as Seneca, was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, dramatist, and, in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature.
The quote is translated from Seneca’s tragedy Hercules furens (The Mad Hercules):
“non est ad astra mollis e terris via”
‘Ad astra’ (“to the stars”) is one of those Latin terms that turns up in a range of places, such as the movie with Brad Pitt and the variation ‘Ad astra per aspera’ “To the stars through difficulties;” “a rough road leads to the stars;” or “Through hardships, to the stars” used as the motto for Starfleet (a quick Star Trek reference!) and some real organisations.
Also the concept of the difficulty of getting to space is communicated by space agencies, usually when something goes wrong, for example, the failure to launch of Virgin Orbit’s Launcher 1 from the UK on 10 January 2022.
When John F Kennedy said, in 1962, “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard …” he must have been aware of the risks and dangers involved.
The phrase ‘Ad astra per aspera’ is displayed on the memorial to Apollo 1 at Launch Complex 34, Cape Canaveral, where an accidental fire in 1967 caused the deaths of astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Ed White.
There is no easy way from the earth to the stars and it is from such sacrifices and by standing on the shoulders of giants that we edge our way into the Cosmos.
Keep a watch out for further quotes using “standing on the shoulders of giants”.
PS: I love coffee. BuyMeACoffee, leave a message with a date and time and we can share it, remotely, at the same time, and think about the Cosmos.
In the meantime, take care of yourself and if you can, someone else, too, because as Adam Smith said, “we naturally desire not only to be loved but to be lovely”.
Credit for opening image
Stargazing Guy 
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