If many of us were asked what inspires us, we could mention our role models, personal experiences, or the beauty of life.

But trust Elon Musk to provide an answer that is literally out of this world.

During an interview, the 53-year-old Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder was asked, “With all of the negative things happening in our world, what inspires you to keep going?”

Musk then up to respond, delivering a remark that has been described as ‘life-affirming.’

“There are a lot of terrible things that are happening all over the world all the time,” he said. “There are lots of problems that need to get solved. Lots of things that are miserable and get you down.

“But life cannot just be about solving one miserable problem after another. That can’t be the only thing.”

The billionaire said, “There needs to be things that inspire you. That make you glad to wake up in the morning and be part of humanity.

“This guy called Tsiolkovsky, one of the early Russian rocket scientists, said the greatest thing – ‘Earth is the cradle of humanity but you cannot stay in the cradle forever. It is time to go forth, become a star-faring civilization. Be out there among the stars. Expand the scope and scale of human consciousness.’

“I find that incredibly exciting. That makes me glad to be alive. I hope you feel the same way.”

However, when a clip of the interview was published on X (previously Twitter), Musk’s statements sparked debate.

Some were impressed by his views about space and his determination to continue exploring it, which led to the formation of his SpaceX astronautics firm in 2002.

One person wrote: “Elon is an inspiring visionary and America is damn lucky to have him.”

Another said: “Very powerful to find one’s own purpose and a reason to rise above the mundane. The mundane is still there, but to rise out of it and be re-energized by your mission makes all the mundane melt away. Therefore, glad to be alive. Love it.”

And a third commented: “Possibly one of the most inspiring life-affirming statements I’ve ever seen. Elon Musk is about living life at 110% capacity.”

But others were more critical, with one user responding: “The guy is living in his own curated world. Sitting here in India where finding bread is a task, he is planning to make life inter-planetary. I don’t have words…”

And another stressed: “Now is NOT the time to leave the cradle. We are not mature enough. THAT is why there are so many problems on Earth. When we stop killing each other for ‘beliefs’ we may be ready. Also, our technology limits our ability to travel beyond our own solar system rn. Elon’s too rich.”