--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no “makes sense” in the…" description: "\"“There is no “makes sense” in the universal sense – that is to say, criticizing a time travel story because its rules do not line up with rules in the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/ann-vandermeer-55259_real-world_there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal_833939.jpg" --- # There is no “makes sense” in the universal sense – that is… ![“There is no “makes sense” in the universal sense – that is to say, criticizing a time travel story because its rules do not line up with rules in the real world is akin to dismissing the Harry Potter books because the conductive properties of wood could never sustain the energy required for spell…” quote by Ann VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/ann-vandermeer-55259_real-world_there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal_833939.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/ann-vandermeer-55259_real-world_there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal_833939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/ann-vandermeer-55259_real-world_there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal_833939.jpg) > ““There is no “makes sense” in the universal sense – that is to say, criticizing a time travel story because its rules do not line up with rules in the real world is akin to dismissing the Harry Potter books because the conductive properties of wood could never sustain the energy required for spell casting.”” [Ann VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-vandermeer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizing fictional worlds by real‑world physics ignores the purpose of genre storytelling, which operates on its own internal logic. **In simple terms:** Fiction rules differ from reality. Key Takeaway Accept genre conventions on their own terms. Themes creativity genre theory fictional worlds Mood playful thoughtful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - reading speculative fiction - film analysis - game design Key Concepts world‑building suspension of disbelief narrative logic Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance internal consistency with creative freedom? - When is it appropriate to apply real‑world logic to fiction? A Different Perspective Real‑world constraints can inspire, not limit, imaginative storytelling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Harry Potter Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harry-potter-book/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-travel/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [“When we’re talking about whether or not a story’s “time travel logic” makes sense, it is important to remember that every story builds its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-vandermeer/when-we-re-talking-about-whether-or-not-a-story-s-time-travel-logic/) [Ann VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-vandermeer/) > [Shakespeare is still Shakespeare because story rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bischoff/shakespeare-is-still-shakespeare-because-story-rules/) [Eric Bischoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bischoff/) > [I call that law universal, which is conformable merely to dictates of nature; for there does exist naturally an universal sense of right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/i-call-that-law-universal-which-is-conformable-merely-to-dictates-of/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [In a more universal sense, we only get one thing. 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Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-green/) [Browse all 1,982 Real world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is no “makes sense” in the universal sense – that is to say, criticizing a time travel story because its rules do not line up with rules in the real world is akin to dismissing the Harry Potter books because the conductive properties of wood could never sustain the energy required for spell casting.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ann VanderMeer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-vandermeer/there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal-sense-that-is-to-say/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Real world" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-vandermeer/there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal-sense-that-is-to-say/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/ann-vandermeer-55259_real-world_there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal_833939.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/ann-vandermeer-55259_real-world_there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal_833939.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/ann-vandermeer-55259_real-world_there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal_833939.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no “makes sense” in the universal sense – that is to say, criticizing a time travel story because…” — Ann VanderMeer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ann VanderMeer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-vandermeer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There is no “makes sense” in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-vandermeer/there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal-sense-that-is-to-say/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-vandermeer/there-is-no-makes-sense-in-the-universal-sense-that-is-to-say/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```