Top 43 Astronaut Chris Hadfield Quotes (CANADIAN)

In the boundless expanse of space exploration and human achievement, few names resonate as vibrantly as Chris Hadfield. Known for his extraordinary career as an astronaut and his engaging approach to sharing space experiences with the world, Hadfield’s legacy is a beacon of inspiration for dreamers and doers alike.

These quotes are not just reflections from an astronaut’s life; they are nuggets of wisdom from a man who dared to orbit our planet, forever changing our understanding of what it means to live and work in space. They offer insights into bravery, resilience, and the principles that guided Hadfield’s remarkable life.

Whether you’re a space enthusiast, an aspiring astronaut, or simply someone fascinated by the vastness of the cosmos, these quotes will challenge your thinking, deepen your understanding, and inspire you to reach beyond your limits.

Top 12 Most Famous Chris Hadfield Quotes About Space Travel and Leadership

“Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter.”
Chris Hadfield

It is about laying the groundwork for others' success, and then standing back and letting them shine. — It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.

Good leadership means leading the way, not hectoring other people to do things your way.

Almost everything worthwhile carries with it some sort of risk.

“Competence means keeping your head in a crisis, sticking with a task even when it seems hopeless, and improvising good solutions to tough problems when every second counts.”
Chris Hadfield

I've had a chance to fly a lot of different airplanes, but it was nothing like the shuttle ride. — I’ve had a chance to fly a lot of different airplanes, but it was nothing like the shuttle ride.

If you start thinking that only your biggest and shiniest moments count, you're setting yourself up to feel like a failure most of the time. — If you start thinking that only your biggest and shiniest moments count, you’re setting yourself up to feel like a failure most of the time.

Success is feeling good about the work you do throughout the long, unheralded journey that may or may not wind up at the launch pad. — **Success** is feeling good about the work you do throughout the long, unheralded journey that may or may not wind up at the launch pad.

“People tend to think astronauts have the courage of a superhero – or maybe the emotional range of a robot. But in order to stay calm in a high-stress, high-stakes situation, all you really need is knowledge.”
Chris Hadfield

Spaceflight isn't just about doing experiments, it's about an extension of human culture. — Spaceflight isn’t just about doing experiments, it’s about an extension of human **culture**.

Anticipating problems and figuring out how to solve them is actually the opposite of worrying: it’s productive.

“In my experience, fear comes from not knowing what to expect and not feeling you have any control over what’s about to happen. When you feel helpless, you’re far more afraid than you would be if you knew the facts.”
Chris Hadfield

31 Inspirational Chris Hadfield Quotes to Inspire You to Take the Leap of Faith

“When I stand on the edge of a cliff or right at the edge of a building or something, it’s one of the few things that gives me kind of a deep, overwhelming, irrational fear where it affects my physiology.”
Chris Hadfield

Every decision you make, from what you eat to what you do with your time tonight, turns you into who you are tomorrow and the day after that.

Every single day you’re the result of what you did on the days prior.

“Our training pushes us to develop a new set of instincts: instead of reacting to danger with a fight-or-flight adrenaline rush, we’re trained to respond unemotionally by immediately prioritizing threats and methodically seeking to defuse them.”
Chris Hadfield

Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction.

I wasn’t destined to be an astronaut. I had to turn myself into one.

“Preparation is not only about managing external risks, but about limiting the likelihood that you’ll unwittingly add to them. When you’re the author of your own fate, you don’t want to write a tragedy.”
Chris Hadfield

Don't let life randomly kick you into the adult you don't want to become. — Don’t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don’t want to become.

As I have discovered again and again, things are never as bad (or as good) as they seem at the time.

“Doing a space walk. It is one of the most rare human experiences. To leave your spaceship and go outside, so that you are alone in the universe with Earth distant and the universe around you. That is amazing.”
Chris Hadfield

In any field, it’s a plus if you view criticism as potentially helpful advice rather than as a personal attack.

By looking at the difference between perceived danger and actual danger, you can fundamentally change your reaction.

“Early success is a terrible teacher. You’re essentially being rewarded for a lack of preparation, so when you find yourself in a situation where you must prepare, you can’t do it. You don’t know how.”
Chris Hadfield

It’s not enough to shelve your own competitive streak. You have to try, consciously, to help others succeed.

Focus on the journey, not on arriving at a certain destination. — **Focus** on the journey, not on arriving at a certain destination.

“My optimism and confidence come not from feeling I’m luckier than other mortals, and they sure don’t come from visualizing victory. They’re the result of a lifetime spent visualizing defeat and figuring out how to prevent it.”
Chris Hadfield

Fatherhood is the unending imperfect task of turning yourself into your dad while secretly maintaining the unbridled elation of your boyhood. — Fatherhood is the unending **imperfect** task of turning yourself into your dad while secretly maintaining the unbridled elation of your boyhood.

Do your homework in advance about the actual travel details so transportation issues do not define your holiday. — Do your **homework** in advance about the actual **travel** details so transportation issues do not define your **holiday**.

“The best way to contribute to a brand-new environment is not by trying to prove what a wonderful addition you are. It’s by trying to have a neutral impact, to observe and learn from those who are already there, and to pitch in with the grunt work wherever possible.”
Chris Hadfield

Remember, nobody changes the world on their own.

No one ever accomplished anything great sitting down.

“It’s like being a newborn, this sudden sensory overload of noise, color, smells and gravity after months of quietly floating, encased in relative calm and isolation. No wonder babies cry in protest when they’re born.”
Chris Hadfield

I wasn’t lonely. Loneliness, I think, has very little to do with location. It’s a state of mind. In the centre of every city are some of the loneliest people in the world.

Sweat the small stuff. Without letting anyone see you sweat.

“If you haven’t learned to ride a bike by the time your peer group has, then suddenly it’s an embarrassment and you’ll avoid opportunities where you’re expected to ride a bike.”
Chris Hadfield

In all of the movie portrayals, a spacewalking suit seems sort of insignificant, like a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. No one thinks much about it.

Most budget airlines anywhere in the world are going to leave you dissatisfied after using them.

“It is spectacular. From about five minutes in, when we knew for sure that we were going to have the weather to go, the smile on my face just got bigger and bigger, and I was just beaming through the whole launch. I mean, it is just an amazing ride.”
Chris Hadfield

The cool things about space is when you put your pants on here, you can put them on two legs at a time.

There is no problem so bad that you cannot make it worse.

We are not machines exploring the universe, we are people.

Chris Hadfield Short Biography

Born on 29 August 1959, Chris Austin Hadfield is a pioneering Canadian retired astronaut who became a global sensation through his Twitter feed when he was living aboard the International Space Station in 2013. People loved him for his remarkable sense of humor.

He posted on Twitter an upside-down Christmas tree and other times he posted constant hilarious, bizarre updates, brilliant photos from space and there was once he even sang Space Oddity in space.

Through his side gig in International Space Station, he became a global celebrity.

The former commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield was also the first Canadian man to walk in space and became the pride of his country.

Since young, Hadfield shown an incredible passion for flying. He won the glider pilot scholarship at age 15 and a powered pilot scholarship at age 16.

Later in his life, he also won astonishing awards such as the Liethen-Title Award for graduating as a top pilot in the USAF Test Pilot School in 1988, U.S. Navy Test Pilot of the Year in 1991, and Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from the Royal Military College in 1996.

In the 21st century, he won the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 2002, Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003, and Inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005. For all Chris Hadfield’s achievements, check out this article.

Further reading:

Astronaut Chris Hadfield Shares the Motivation Behind his Incredible Photos from Space – Peta Pixel
Astronaut Chris Hadfield Brings Lessons From Space Down To Earth – npr
‘Build your own little spaceship in your home’ – astronaut Chris Hadfield weighs in on isolation – euronews
10 Inspiring Life Lessons from Astronaut Chris Hadfield – Lifehack
Chris Hadfield – the astronaut’s best tweets, photos and videos – The Guardian

Here are the best Chris Hadfield quotes so you can be prepared to utilize the power of both positive and negative thinking.

(MUST READ)

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth — **An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth**

Also read:

Top 12 Most Famous Chris Hadfield Quotes About Space Travel and Leadership

31 Inspirational Chris Hadfield Quotes to Inspire You to Take the Leap of Faith

Chris Hadfield Short Biography

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