Arthur C. Clarke is one of the true geniuses of our time.
—Ray Bradbury

Not since George Orwell wrote 1984 has one writer’s name conjured more speculation and fascination with a year than the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey. That writer is, of course, Sir Arthur C. Clarke. He is, at 83, perhaps the most influential science fiction writer in the universe.
—Tom Hanks, 73rd Academy Awards

Nobody has done more in the way of enlightened prediction than Arthur C. Clarke.
—Isaac Asimov

He has done an enormous global service in preparing the climate for serious human presence beyond the Earth.
—Carl Sagan

In a world filled with despair and fear, Arthur C. Clarke has always come down on the side of human possibility against the forces of impossibility.
—Alvin Toffler

Arthur literally made my Star Trek idea possible, including the television series, the films, and the association and learning it has made possible for me.
—Gene Roddenberry

Arthur somehow manages to capture the hopeless but admirable human desire to know things that can really never be known.  … As an artist, his ability to impart poignancy to a dying ocean or an intelligent vapor is unique. He has the kind of mind of which the world can never have enough, an array of imagination, intelligence, knowledge, and a quirkish curiosity which often uncovers more than the first three qualities.
—Stanley Kubrick

Arthur C. Clarke, distinguished author of science and fiction, says ideas often have three stages of reaction–first, ‘it’s crazy and don’t waste my time.’ Second, ‘it’s possible, but it’s not worth doing.’ And finally, ‘I’ve always said it was a good idea.’
—President Ronald Reagan

2001 is not just another science-fiction novel or movie. It is a science-fiction milestone–one of the best novels in the genre and undoubtedly the best s.f. movie ever made.  …Arguably, Sir Arthur (he was knighted in 1998) has done more than anyone in the 20th century to explain science to the multitude.
—Gerald Jonas, New York Times

Sir Arthur Clarke has been an inspiration to me since he wrote his first books in the 1940s. I thank him for leading us through the 20th century and guiding us to the heavens.
—Daniel Goldin, NASA Administrator

Sir Arthur Clarke is the Jules Verne of space.
—Jean-Michel Cousteau, Oceanographer

It has been a great privilege to be a friend of an individual who has made such important contributions to the extraordinary scientific/technical achievements of the 20th century and beyond.
—Walter Cronkite

I count myself among the millions who have been inspired and encouraged by Arthur C. Clarke’s contributions to literature, and I count myself among his many friends.
—Neil Armstrong

Arthur’s cultural and philosophical contributions to space have been immeasurable, and I want to bring all the thanks from all the Apollo astronauts.
—Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, speaking at This is Your Life TV programme recorded in London, 1994

You are deservedly the best known science fiction writer in the world. You have done more than anyone to give us a vision of mankind reaching out from cradle Earth to our future in the stars.
—Stanley Kubrick, in message sent to This is Your Life, 1994

To Arthur C Clarke – who inspired my summer vacation on Mars.
—Donna Shirley, Manager of Mars Exploration Programme at JPL, inscribing Managing Martians, 1998

His intellectual sweep, his brilliance, perhaps even more the deep humanity that he has shown, will remain with us for a long time. He is a seer of modern science.
—Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, after Sir Arthur had delivered the Nehru Memorial Address in New Delhi, November 1986