--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The trouble with fiction,\" said John…" description: "\"The trouble with fiction,\" said John Rivers, \"is that it makes too much sense. Reality never makes sense.\" — Aldous Huxley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/aldous-huxley-97_fiction_the-trouble-with-fiction-said-john-river_206982.jpg" --- # The trouble with fiction," said John Rivers, "is that it… ![“The trouble with fiction," said John Rivers, "is that it makes too much sense. Reality never makes sense.” quote by Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/aldous-huxley-97_fiction_the-trouble-with-fiction-said-john-river_206982.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/aldous-huxley-97_fiction_the-trouble-with-fiction-said-john-river_206982.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/aldous-huxley-97_fiction_the-trouble-with-fiction-said-john-river_206982.jpg) > “The trouble with fiction," said John Rivers, "is that it makes too much sense. Reality never makes sense.” [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction imposes order and meaning, while reality remains chaotic and inexplicable, highlighting our desire for narrative structure. **In simple terms:** Stories give sense; real life is chaotic. Key Takeaway Seek meaning but accept life's ambiguity. Themes fiction reality meaning order chaos human nature Mood contemplative philosophical Type literary analytical When to use this quote - reading groups - educational curricula - personal reflection - media criticism Key Concepts narrative theory existentialism philosophy of art Questions to Reflect On - Why do we crave stories? - How can we find comfort in uncertainty? A Different Perspective May undervalue the value of unstructured experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [That is the joy of reading fiction: when all is said and done, the novel belongs to the reader and his or her imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-is-the-joy-of-reading-fiction-when-all-is-said-and-done-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The future of fiction? he said. Maybe, she said. Will it have room for, you know, love & stuff? he said. Always, she said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/the-future-of-fiction-he-said-maybe-she-said-will-it-have-room-for/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Valerie Martin was my mentor in college and she liked fiction that said something. That made it essential to have something to say. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabina-murray/valerie-martin-was-my-mentor-in-college-and-she-liked-fiction-that/) [Sabina Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabina-murray/) > [Fiction may be said to be the caricature of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/fiction-may-be-said-to-be-the-caricature-of-history/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [“You mean fiction?" I said. "I mean flesh-and-blood stories about what happens outside your head, Albert. Stories that touch your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-hesketh/you-mean-fiction-i-said-i-mean-flesh-and-blood-stories-about-what/) Peggy Hesketh > [“But that there is a simple relation between literary and other fictions seems, if one attends to it, more obvious than has appeared. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/but-that-there-is-a-simple-relation-between-literary-and-other/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [There is only one admirable form of the imagination: the imagination that is so intense that it creates a new reality, that it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-only-one-admirable-form-of-the-imagination-the-imagination/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a child, reality is whatever one makes of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/as-a-child-reality-is-whatever-one-makes-of-it/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't like the idea of a reality show. It makes me like a student in school who is competing in a competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-rode/i-don-t-like-the-idea-of-a-reality-show-it-makes-me-like-a-student-in/) [Gautam Rode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-rode/) > [Reality makes no sense at all, except possibly from God's point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-singer/reality-makes-no-sense-at-all-except-possibly-from-god-s-point-of-view/) Lori Singer > [“Every minute decision that you take matters, and it shapes your reality and makes a big a difference in your Life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srinivart/every-minute-decision-that-you-take-matters-and-it-shapes-your/) [Srinivart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srinivart/) > [Seems like nothing ever brings you back to reality that makes you want to stay there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/seems-like-nothing-ever-brings-you-back-to-reality-that-makes-you/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [It is interesting to watch yourself on a reality show. It makes you think about the things that you say and how what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-grammer/it-is-interesting-to-watch-yourself-on-a-reality-show-it-makes-you/) [Camille Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-grammer/) > [Reality is what one makes it. And the more negative reality one nurtures and creates, the more of it one has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/reality-is-what-one-makes-it-and-the-more-negative-reality-one/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [He read a lot. He used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/he-read-a-lot-he-used-a-lot-of-big-words-i-think-maybe-part-of-what/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) ## More by Aldous Huxley > [“Unorthodoxy threatens more than the life of a mere individual; it strikes at Society itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/unorthodoxy-threatens-more-than-the-life-of-a-mere-individual-it/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Man has an almost infinite capacity for taking things and people for granted and thereby missing out on the pleasure of being grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-has-an-almost-infinite-capacity-for-taking-things-and-people-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [My fate cannot be mastered; it can only be collaborated with and thereby, to some extent, directed. Nor am I the captain of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/my-fate-cannot-be-mastered-it-can-only-be-collaborated-with-and/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Impulse arrested spills over, and the flood is feeling, the flood is passion, the flood is even madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/impulse-arrested-spills-over-and-the-flood-is-feeling-the-flood-is/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. At the same time, and no less obviously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/of-course-the-dharma-body-of-the-buddha-was-the-hedge-at-the-bottom/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“The question for the man of sense is: Do we or do we not want to go to hell? And his answer is: No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-question-for-the-man-of-sense-is-do-we-or-do-we-not-want-to-go-to/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“I’ll MAKE you be free whether you want to or not.’ -The Savage”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/i-ll-make-you-be-free-whether-you-want-to-or-not-the-savage/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Thought of the incomprehensible sequence of changes and chances that make up a life, all the beauties and horrors and absurdities whose conjunctions create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/thought-of-the-incomprehensible-sequence-of-changes-and-chances-that/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [The third petition of the Lord's Prayer is repeated daily by millions who have not the slightest intention of letting anyone's will be done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-third-petition-of-the-lord-s-prayer-is-repeated-daily-by-millions/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Then what’s time for?” asked Lenina in some astonishment. Apparently, for going on walks in the Lake District; for that was what he now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/then-what-s-time-for-asked-lenina-in-some-astonishment-apparently-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [All right then," said the Savage defiantly, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/all-right-then-said-the-savage-defiantly-i-m-claiming-the-right-to-be/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Speed, it seems to me, provides the one genuinely modern pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/speed-it-seems-to-me-provides-the-one-genuinely-modern-pleasure/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“What you need is a gramme of soma.” “All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/what-you-need-is-a-gramme-of-soma-all-the-advantages-of-christianity/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [To be enlightened is to be aware, always, of total reality in its immanent otherness - to be aware of it and yet remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/to-be-enlightened-is-to-be-aware-always-of-total-reality-in-its/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Quote of the day:Quote of the day: A democracy which makes or even effectively prepares for modern, scientific war must necessarily cease to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/quote-of-the-day-quote-of-the-day-a-democracy-which-makes-or-even/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) [Explore all 1,291 Aldous Huxley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) Edward Einhorn > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) Coheed and Cambria > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The trouble with fiction,\" said John Rivers, \"is that it makes too much sense. 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