Tyson quoted these words as something he remembered George W.Bush saying; they were not presented as Tyson's own creed. Bush's documented 2003 Columbia address uses different words about the Creator and the seven astronauts.
“Our God is the God who named the stars” — Words Tyson attributed to George W. Bush in a recollection; not verified Bush wording or Tyson’s own statement of belief.
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Provenance
The source
Use located
Tyson's 2008 I, Skeptic presentation, as transcribed by Wikiquote
Quoted attribution
Recalled words assigned to George W.Bush
Primary comparison
Bush's Columbia address, February 1, 2003: different wording
The exact searched wording is Tyson's reported recollection, not an identified original presidential text. Its originating expression and documentary form are unresolved; no public-domain clearance is asserted.
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✓Tyson quoted these words as something he remembered George W.Bush saying; they were not presented as Tyson's own creed. Bush's documented 2003 Columbia address uses different words about the Creator and the seven astronauts.
Context
Why it mattered
A quotation can change meaning when the identity of the person supposedly being quoted disappears. Bush's actual Columbia address ↗ names the seven astronauts in a message of mourning, a different text and setting from the recollection embedded in Tyson's anecdote.
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Filed under
More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and public science communicator. His presentations have used anecdotes about science and public language, including a disputed recollection of a presidential reference to star names.
For writers & researchers
Cite this
The primary source (Chicago)
Tyson, Neil deGrasse. Recalled quotation in “I, Skeptic—Modern Skepticism in the Internet Age,”2008, transcribed by Wikiquote. Compare George W.Bush, “President Addresses Nation on Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy,”February 1, 2003.
This verification page
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Our God is the God who named the stars’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/our-god-is-the-god-who-named-the-stars/