--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's the harm of Close Encounters: that…" description: "\"That's the harm of Close Encounters: that it convinces tens of millions that that's what just science fiction is.\" — Isaac Asimov" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/isaac-asimov-309_close-encounters_that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that_587915.jpg" --- # That's the harm of Close Encounters: that it convinces… ![“That's the harm of Close Encounters: that it convinces tens of millions that that's what just science fiction is.” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/isaac-asimov-309_close-encounters_that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that_587915.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/isaac-asimov-309_close-encounters_that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that_587915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/isaac-asimov-309_close-encounters_that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that_587915.jpg) > “That's the harm of Close Encounters: that it convinces tens of millions that that's what just science fiction is.” [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## 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 can blur the line between imagination and reality, leading people to accept speculative ideas as fact **In simple terms:** Fiction can make unrealistic ideas seem real Key Takeaway Question the realism of speculative media Themes media science fiction public perception critical thinking Mood cautious inquisitive Type analytical educational When to use this quote - reading sci‑fi - educational curricula - media analysis - public policy Key Concepts cognitive bias information literacy Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do creators have to distinguish fact from fiction? - How can audiences better discern speculative content? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on fiction may cause distrust of real science ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Close encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-encounters/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [A crisis is a close encounter of the third kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/a-crisis-is-a-close-encounter-of-the-third-kind/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [My favorite sci-fi movie of all time is 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/my-favorite-sci-fi-movie-of-all-time-is-close-encounters-of-the-third/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [When one is young, aspiring to play for the country, doing well, any hindrance, like injury or being out of form, can be frustrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuvraj-singh/when-one-is-young-aspiring-to-play-for-the-country-doing-well-any/) [Yuvraj Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuvraj-singh/) > [When I was a child, I thought I was going to be a paleontologist because I loved dinosaurs. I loved monster movies and sci-fi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-bradley-baker/when-i-was-a-child-i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-a-paleontologist/) [Dee Bradley Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-bradley-baker/) > [ I've kept the people who've been in my career who I feel are my family. Kathy \[Kennedy\] had been with me since 1978. Janusz… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-ve-kept-the-people-who-ve-been-in-my-career-who-i-feel-are-my/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I've had some very close encounters with the other side. They chose me to do this - I was doing this all before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zak-bagans/i-ve-had-some-very-close-encounters-with-the-other-side-they-chose-me/) [Zak Bagans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zak-bagans/) > [“The evil components of our shadow are the part of us that we deplore, the part of us that we prefer not to admit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/the-evil-components-of-our-shadow-are-the-part-of-us-that-we-deplore/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [I want to make another film. I want to make a better film about the legendary Babaji, with more close-encounter stories of people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-hagen/i-want-to-make-another-film-i-want-to-make-a-better-film-about-the/) [Nina Hagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-hagen/) > [Cancer is the ugliest, scariest, most dreaded word in the English language. My credentials for saying so? Head-to-head, firsthand close encounters with different versions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ramsay/cancer-is-the-ugliest-scariest-most-dreaded-word-in-the-english/) [Jack Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ramsay/) > [“Hey, I got an idea, let’s go to the movies. I wanna go to the movies, I want to take you all to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/hey-i-got-an-idea-let-s-go-to-the-movies-i-wanna-go-to-the-movies-i/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [I'm not encouraged by the silence. I can think of no benign reason for it. 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It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [When life is so harsh that a man loses all hope in himself, then he raises his eyes to a shining rock, worshipping it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/when-life-is-so-harsh-that-a-man-loses-all-hope-in-himself-then-he/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More Close encounters quotes > [A crisis is a close encounter of the third kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/a-crisis-is-a-close-encounter-of-the-third-kind/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [I've had some very close encounters with the other side. They chose me to do this - I was doing this all before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zak-bagans/i-ve-had-some-very-close-encounters-with-the-other-side-they-chose-me/) [Zak Bagans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zak-bagans/) > [ I've kept the people who've been in my career who I feel are my family. Kathy \[Kennedy\] had been with me since 1978. Janusz… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-ve-kept-the-people-who-ve-been-in-my-career-who-i-feel-are-my/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Some of our favorite movies, like 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and 'Breaking Away,' were set in Indiana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-duffer/some-of-our-favorite-movies-like-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind/) [Ross Duffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-duffer/) > [“The evil components of our shadow are the part of us that we deplore, the part of us that we prefer not to admit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/the-evil-components-of-our-shadow-are-the-part-of-us-that-we-deplore/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [When I was a child, I thought I was going to be a paleontologist because I loved dinosaurs. I loved monster movies and sci-fi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-bradley-baker/when-i-was-a-child-i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-a-paleontologist/) [Dee Bradley Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-bradley-baker/) > [When one is young, aspiring to play for the country, doing well, any hindrance, like injury or being out of form, can be frustrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuvraj-singh/when-one-is-young-aspiring-to-play-for-the-country-doing-well-any/) [Yuvraj Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuvraj-singh/) > [My favorite sci-fi movie of all time is 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/my-favorite-sci-fi-movie-of-all-time-is-close-encounters-of-the-third/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [I had never seen the classics with Molly Ringwald, like 'Pretty in Pink' or 'Sixteen Candles,' or '80s horror, like 'Poltergeist,' 'Close Encounters,' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-dyer/i-had-never-seen-the-classics-with-molly-ringwald-like-pretty-in-pink/) [Natalia Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-dyer/) > [Close Encounters' really showed the world what can be accomplished when a filmmaker and composer are cooperating closely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-mccreary/close-encounters-really-showed-the-world-what-can-be-accomplished/) [Bear McCreary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-mccreary/) > [I'm not encouraged by the silence. I can think of no benign reason for it. I'm afraid we may expect something closer to Christopher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-m-not-encouraged-by-the-silence-i-can-think-of-no-benign-reason-for/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“Hey, I got an idea, let’s go to the movies. I wanna go to the movies, I want to take you all to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/hey-i-got-an-idea-let-s-go-to-the-movies-i-wanna-go-to-the-movies-i/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Cancer is the ugliest, scariest, most dreaded word in the English language. My credentials for saying so? Head-to-head, firsthand close encounters with different versions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ramsay/cancer-is-the-ugliest-scariest-most-dreaded-word-in-the-english/) [Jack Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ramsay/) > [I want to make another film. I want to make a better film about the legendary Babaji, with more close-encounter stories of people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-hagen/i-want-to-make-another-film-i-want-to-make-a-better-film-about-the/) [Nina Hagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-hagen/) > [I think some of the special effects in Close Encounters hold up better than the new more expensive special effects is because they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-balaban/i-think-some-of-the-special-effects-in-close-encounters-hold-up/) [Bob Balaban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-balaban/) [Browse all 31 Close encounters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-encounters/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That's the harm of Close Encounters: that it convinces tens of millions that that's what just science fiction is.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Isaac Asimov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that-it-convinces-tens-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Close encounters" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that-it-convinces-tens-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/isaac-asimov-309_close-encounters_that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that_587915.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/isaac-asimov-309_close-encounters_that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that_587915.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/isaac-asimov-309_close-encounters_that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that_587915.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That's the harm of Close Encounters: that it convinces tens of millions that that's what just science…” — Isaac Asimov", "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": "Isaac Asimov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That's the harm of Close Encounters:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that-it-convinces-tens-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/that-s-the-harm-of-close-encounters-that-it-convinces-tens-of/#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 } } ] } ```