--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A precondition for being a science…" description: "\"A precondition for being a science fiction writer other than an interest in the future is that, an interest - at least an understanding of science, not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/arthur-c-clarke-640_fantasy_a-precondition-for-being-a-science-ficti_791839.jpg" --- # A precondition for being a science fiction writer other… ![“A precondition for being a science fiction writer other than an interest in the future is that, an interest - at least an understanding of science, not necessarily a science degree but you must have a feeling for the science and its possibilities and its impossibilities, otherwise you're writing…” quote by Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/arthur-c-clarke-640_fantasy_a-precondition-for-being-a-science-ficti_791839.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/arthur-c-clarke-640_fantasy_a-precondition-for-being-a-science-ficti_791839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/arthur-c-clarke-640_fantasy_a-precondition-for-being-a-science-ficti_791839.jpg) > “A precondition for being a science fiction writer other than an interest in the future is that, an interest - at least an understanding of science, not necessarily a science degree but you must have a feeling for the science and its possibilities and its impossibilities, otherwise you're writing fantasy. Now, fantasy is also fine, but there is a distinction, although no one's ever been able to say just where the dividing lines come.” [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science fiction requires at least a grasp of scientific concepts and their limits; without it the work drifts into fantasy. **In simple terms:** Understanding science separates sci‑fi from fantasy. Key Takeaway Study basic science to write credible sci‑fi. Themes science creativity genre knowledge imagination Mood curious inspired analytical Type advice philosophical educational When to use this quote - writing a novel - teaching a class - designing a game - explaining a concept - consulting for a film Key Concepts scientific literacy world‑building genre theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance scientific accuracy with narrative freedom? - When does fantasy become science fiction? A Different Perspective Pure imagination can still produce compelling stories, even without technical detail. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writer/) [Impossibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossibility/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Writer Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-future-653845/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fantasy-305257/) ## Related quotes > [“To be a science fiction writer you must be interested in the future and you must feel that the future will be different and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/to-be-a-science-fiction-writer-you-must-be-interested-in-the-future/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I have ALWAYS wanted to write - I was the seven-year old entering local library poetry contests, and I recently found my eighth-grade yearbook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/i-have-always-wanted-to-write-i-was-the-seven-year-old-entering-local/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) > [ There is an interview given by \[ Jean-Paul\] Sartre in the USA where he is asked what the future of French literature is, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/there-is-an-interview-given-by-jean-paul-sartre-in-the-usa-where-he/) [Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/) > [The success of a science fiction writer is if he can write a good read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/the-success-of-a-science-fiction-writer-is-if-he-can-write-a-good-read/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I've read science fiction my whole life. I never really dreamed that I'd be a published science fiction writer myself, but a short story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/i-ve-read-science-fiction-my-whole-life-i-never-really-dreamed-that-i/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [When I turned to writing fantasy, and writing for young people, it was joyous. It was like discovering an underground lake of ideas that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/when-i-turned-to-writing-fantasy-and-writing-for-young-people-it-was/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [As a kid, I pretty much got nothing but scorn, and occasionally active animus, for writing fantasy and squirreling it away in my closet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-smith/as-a-kid-i-pretty-much-got-nothing-but-scorn-and-occasionally-active/) [Sherwood Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-smith/) > [Writing fantasy lets me imagine a great deal more than, say, writing about alligators, and lets me write about places more distant than Florida,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/writing-fantasy-lets-me-imagine-a-great-deal-more-than-say-writing/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [“When you mix Science Fiction with Fantasy you don't have a pure genre, the two are, to a professional separate genres. I noticed today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/when-you-mix-science-fiction-with-fantasy-you-don-t-have-a-pure-genre/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [My eighth grade teacher, Mrs. Pabst, had done her master's thesis on Tolkien. She showed me how the trilogy was patterned after Norse mythology.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/my-eighth-grade-teacher-mrs-pabst-had-done-her-master-s-thesis-on/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I'm not very good at writing fantasy or even reading it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/i-m-not-very-good-at-writing-fantasy-or-even-reading-it/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [There is nothing I can't do writing in Fantasy. I can have romance, I can have mystery, I can have drama, I can have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/there-is-nothing-i-can-t-do-writing-in-fantasy-i-can-have-romance-i/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I started reading fantasy and science fiction and writing fantasy and science fiction when I was - when I started junior high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/i-started-reading-fantasy-and-science-fiction-and-writing-fantasy-and/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [“Writing is one of the loneliest professions in the world because it has to be practiced in this very separate private world, in \_here\_.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/writing-is-one-of-the-loneliest-professions-in-the-world-because-it/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“I'm also old... and my own gift for writing fantasy grows out of very literal-minded, pragmatic soil: the things I do when I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-m-also-old-and-my-own-gift-for-writing-fantasy-grows-out-of-very/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) ## More by Arthur C. Clarke > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I am unable to distinguish clearly between your religious ceremonies and apparently identical behavior at the sporting and cultural functions you have transmitted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-am-unable-to-distinguish-clearly-between-your-religious-ceremonies/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-don-t-believe-in-astrology-i-m-a-sagittarius-and-we-re-skeptical/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [You can't have it both ways. You can't have both free will and a benevolent higher power who protects you from yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/you-can-t-have-it-both-ways-you-can-t-have-both-free-will-and-a/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Astronomy, as nothing else can do, teaches men humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/astronomy-as-nothing-else-can-do-teaches-men-humility/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Nowhere in space will we rest our eyes upon the familiar shapes of trees and plants, or any of the animals that share our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/nowhere-in-space-will-we-rest-our-eyes-upon-the-familiar-shapes-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“The universe is full of energy, but much of it is at equilibrium. At equilibrium no energy can flow, and therefore it cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/the-universe-is-full-of-energy-but-much-of-it-is-at-equilibrium-at/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Here the trees surrounded them with an invisible, anechoic blanket, so that every word seemed sucked into silence the moment it was uttered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/here-the-trees-surrounded-them-with-an-invisible-anechoic-blanket-so/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“I’m a scientific expert; that means I know nothing about absolutely everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-m-a-scientific-expert-that-means-i-know-nothing-about-absolutely/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [There were some things that only time could cure. Evil men could be destroyed, but nothing could be done with good men who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/there-were-some-things-that-only-time-could-cure-evil-men-could-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Pure coincidence, of course, but a sensible man makes coincidences work for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/pure-coincidence-of-course-but-a-sensible-man-makes-coincidences-work/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [They will have time enough, in those endless aeons, to attempt all things, and to gather all knowledge no Gods imagined by our minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/they-will-have-time-enough-in-those-endless-aeons-to-attempt-all/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“One thing seems certain. Our galaxy is now in the brief springtime of its life—a springtime made glorious by such brilliant blue-white stars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/one-thing-seems-certain-our-galaxy-is-now-in-the-brief-springtime-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Now I understand,” said the last man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/now-i-understand-said-the-last-man/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) [Explore all 415 Arthur C. Clarke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## More Fantasy quotes > [“I am awake. I know what you took. I am coming for you. Vengeance is mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-burks/i-am-awake-i-know-what-you-took-i-am-coming-for-you-vengeance-is-mine/) [Robin Burks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-burks/) > [I avoided nudity unless a film couldn't be told without those scenes. If you look at my films, few of them have that element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-scacchi/i-avoided-nudity-unless-a-film-couldn-t-be-told-without-those-scenes/) [Greta Scacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-scacchi/) > [We don't make glamorous movies today. Everything now is very realistic, artistic - and depressing. When is the last time you you saw a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-head/we-don-t-make-glamorous-movies-today-everything-now-is-very-realistic/) [Edith Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-head/) > [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/) [Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/) > [“Metal makes everything magical. Just ask a unicorn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybrina-durant/metal-makes-everything-magical-just-ask-a-unicorn/) [Sybrina Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybrina-durant/) > [“(Evil people) do not believe in forgiveness. Their transgressions are either punished or not punished. That is the only result that matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mchugh/evil-people-do-not-believe-in-forgiveness-their-transgressions-are/) [Daniel McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mchugh/) > [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [I'm a geek - I read fantasy novels, I play 'World of Warcraft,' I'm a massive gamer, I have 'Star Trek' outfits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kazinsky/i-m-a-geek-i-read-fantasy-novels-i-play-world-of-warcraft-i-m-a/) [Robert Kazinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kazinsky/) > [“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/when-we-let-go-of-our-battles-and-open-our-heart-to-things-as-they/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [“Perhaps Nesta will take up the blood-drinking habit, too. I certainly believe her threat to rip out my throat. Maybe she'll enjoy the taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/perhaps-nesta-will-take-up-the-blood-drinking-habit-too-i-certainly/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [I like to play people that are real, a real person, and then something that's interesting with that person. I think it's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-bostick/i-like-to-play-people-that-are-real-a-real-person-and-then-something/) [Devon Bostick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-bostick/) > [It's a hindrance in trying to get a serious acting role. The minute a producer has a script and my name comes up, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbi-benton/it-s-a-hindrance-in-trying-to-get-a-serious-acting-role-the-minute-a/) [Barbi Benton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbi-benton/) > [No one will ever write a fantasy novel better than The Hobbit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-will-ever-write-a-fantasy-novel-better-than-the-hobbit/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've always loved sci-fi and fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-alexander/i-ve-always-loved-sci-fi-and-fantasy/) [Olly Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-alexander/) > [“I will always be within reach if you need me, little one...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-von/i-will-always-be-within-reach-if-you-need-me-little-one/) [A.R. Von](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-von/) [Browse all 5,469 Fantasy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A precondition for being a science fiction writer other than an interest in the future is that, an interest - at least an understanding of science, not necessarily a science degree but you must have a feeling for the science and its possibilities and its impossibilities, otherwise you're writing fantasy. Now, fantasy is also fine, but there is a distinction, although no one's ever been able to say just where the dividing lines come.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur C. Clarke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/a-precondition-for-being-a-science-fiction-writer-other-than-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fantasy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/a-precondition-for-being-a-science-fiction-writer-other-than-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/arthur-c-clarke-640_fantasy_a-precondition-for-being-a-science-ficti_791839.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/arthur-c-clarke-640_fantasy_a-precondition-for-being-a-science-ficti_791839.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/arthur-c-clarke-640_fantasy_a-precondition-for-being-a-science-ficti_791839.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A precondition for being a science fiction writer other than an interest in the future is that, an interest…” — Arthur C. Clarke", "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": "Arthur C. Clarke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A precondition for being a science...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/a-precondition-for-being-a-science-fiction-writer-other-than-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/a-precondition-for-being-a-science-fiction-writer-other-than-an/#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 } } ] } ```