---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...at it's best fiction is medicine."
description: "\"...at it's best fiction is medicine.\" — Dean Koontz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/dean-koontz-118_best_at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine-2452551_2452551.jpg"
---

#  ...at it's best fiction is medicine.

![“...at it's best fiction is medicine.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/dean-koontz-118_best_at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine-2452551_2452551.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/dean-koontz-118_best_at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine-2452551_2452551.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/dean-koontz-118_best_at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine-2452551_2452551.jpg)

> “...at it's best fiction is medicine.”

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Stories can heal emotional wounds, offering perspective and comfort like medicine.

**In simple terms:** Fiction heals like medicine.

Key Takeaway

Read stories for emotional health.

Themes

healing fiction empathy

Mood

comforting hopeful

Type

therapeutic inspirational

When to use this quote

- stress relief
- mental health coping
- emotional processing

Key Concepts

psychology literature therapy

Questions to Reflect On

- Which stories have helped you heal?
- How does narrative shape coping?

A Different Perspective

Not all fiction offers therapeutic value.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/) [Best Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-fiction-581081/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-medicine-581080/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/)

## Related quotes

> ['There's no need for fiction in medicine,' remarks Foster... 'for the facts will always beat anything you fancy.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/there-s-no-need-for-fiction-in-medicine-remarks-foster-for-the-facts/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“I explained that most great works of the imagination were meant to make you feel like a stranger in your own home. The best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-explained-that-most-great-works-of-the-imagination-were-meant-to/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [We're so much more likely to feel sympathy for an animal than another person; thus, the best fiction uses animals to define truly humane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-re-so-much-more-likely-to-feel-sympathy-for-an-animal-than-another/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [The best fiction is geared towards conflict. We learn most about our characters through tension, when they are put up against insurmountable obstacles. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/the-best-fiction-is-geared-towards-conflict-we-learn-most-about-our/)

[Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/)

> [“The best liars write the best fiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-roberts/the-best-liars-write-the-best-fiction/)

[Robert M. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-roberts/)

> [“The best fiction rises – yes, like a phoenix – out of the ashes of people’s sad, true disasters. We write in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-best-fiction-rises-yes-like-a-phoenix-out-of-the-ashes-of-people/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [The best fiction stays with you and changes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-a-obreht/the-best-fiction-stays-with-you-and-changes-you/)

[Tea Obreht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-a-obreht/)

> [“I explained that most great works of the imagination were meant to make you feel like a stranger in your own home. The best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-explained-that-most-great-works-of-the-imagination-were-meant-to-2/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [Most great works of the imagination were meant to make you feel like a stranger in your own home. The best fiction always forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/most-great-works-of-the-imagination-were-meant-to-make-you-feel-like/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [“The best fiction is far more true than any kind of journalism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-best-fiction-is-far-more-true-than-any-kind-of-journalism/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“The best fiction is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinky-friedman/the-best-fiction-is-true/)

[Kinky Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinky-friedman/)

> [“The best fiction is often how we interpret our own lives and what we see as our common due. It is created usually as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-edwards/the-best-fiction-is-often-how-we-interpret-our-own-lives-and-what-we/)

[Anne Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-edwards/)

> [The best fiction is far more true than any journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-best-fiction-is-far-more-true-than-any-journalism/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [Biographies never feel as real as the best fiction. There is such a discontinuity between the narrative and the material it comes from, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/biographies-never-feel-as-real-as-the-best-fiction-there-is-such-a/)

[Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/)

> [“What the best fiction does is make powerful affirmations of familiar truths...the trivial fiction which times filters out is that which either makes wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/what-the-best-fiction-does-is-make-powerful-affirmations-of-familiar/)

[John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/)

## More by Dean Koontz

> [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

[Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

## More Best quotes

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/)

[Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [It's no wonder Pep is one of the best coaches in the world. When I knew I could work with him I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/it-s-no-wonder-pep-is-one-of-the-best-coaches-in-the-world-when-i/)

[Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/)

> [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/)

[Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/)

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/)

[Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/)

> [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/)

[Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/)

> [Life is where you love people and use things not use people and love things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/life-is-where-you-love-people-and-use-things-not-use-people-and-love/)

[Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/)

> [With every product, the delta between the brand and the reality determines its power over the minds of consumers, and with Trump, that delta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/with-every-product-the-delta-between-the-brand-and-the-reality/)

[Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/)

> [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/)

[Gene Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-scott/)

> [I'm looking to fight the best guys in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/i-m-looking-to-fight-the-best-guys-in-the-world/)

[Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/)

> [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/)

[Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/)

> [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [Any position I was going to be in, I was going to make the best of it. I always do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bledsoe/any-position-i-was-going-to-be-in-i-was-going-to-make-the-best-of-it/)

[Eric Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bledsoe/)

[Browse all 21,674 Best quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "...at it's best fiction is medicine.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dean Koontz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Best"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/dean-koontz-118_best_at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine-2452551_2452551.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/dean-koontz-118_best_at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine-2452551_2452551.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/dean-koontz-118_best_at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine-2452551_2452551.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...at it's best fiction is medicine.” — Dean Koontz",
                "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": "Dean Koontz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "...at it's best fiction is medicine.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/at-it-s-best-fiction-is-medicine/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
