The documented internet source is the Reddit user Aalewis, not Neil deGrasse Tyson. Know Your Meme preserves the January 4, 2013 post and the same-day deliberate false Tyson credit; the original Reddit bodies are now deleted.
“In this moment, I am euphoric. Not because of any phony god's blessing. But because, I am enlightened by my intelligence” — Aalewis, Reddit post (2013), preserved by Know Your Meme; not Neil deGrasse Tyson.
⚠ The slide-ready mistake: crediting this to Neil deGrasse Tyson. Use the credit shown above instead.
Image direction — grounded in this quote’s real context; paste into your image tool
In context
Evoking the world of Aalewis — Reddit pseudonym. Theme: "In this moment, I am euphoric. Not because of any phony god's blessing. But because, I am enlightened by my intelligence". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Minimalist
Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "In this moment, I am euphoric. Not because of any phony god's blessing. But because, I am enlightened by my intelligence". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Provenance
The source
Documented credit
Reddit user Aalewis
Reported original post
r/atheism, January 4, 2013; preserved by Know Your Meme
This is a modern 2013 text by a pseudonymous writer. Copyright is not waived by online posting or deletion; only a brief identifying fragment is excerpted.
Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.
✓The documented internet source is the Reddit user Aalewis, not Neil deGrasse Tyson. Know Your Meme preserves the January 4, 2013 post and the same-day deliberate false Tyson credit; the original Reddit bodies are now deleted.
Context
Why it mattered
The false celebrity credit was part of the joke's documented spread, rather than an independent scientific quotation. The meme history ↗ preserves both the pseudonymous original and the later Tyson attribution, while the now-deleted thread bodies show why preservation limits matter.
Explore
Filed under
More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
Aalewis is the Reddit pseudonym associated with the original euphoric quotation. The preserved post and its later false celebrity credits made the sentence an internet meme; no private identity is inferred.
For writers & researchers
Cite this
The primary source (Chicago)
Aalewis. Reddit post to r/atheism, January 4, 2013, as preserved and documented by Know Your Meme, “In This Moment I Am Euphoric.” Original body now deleted.
This verification page
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘In this moment, I am euphoric. Not because of any phony god's blessing. But because, I am enlightened by my intelligence’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/in-this-moment-i-am-euphoric-not-because-of-any-phony-gods/