--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What the best fiction does is make…" description: "\"“What the best fiction does is make powerful affirmations of familiar truths...the trivial fiction which times filters out is that which either makes w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41e/john-gardner-3092_fiction_what-the-best-fiction-does-is-make-power_1526153.jpg" --- # What the best fiction does is make powerful affirmations… ![“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 affirmations or else makes affirmations in a squeaky little voice. Powerful affirmation comes from strong intellect and strong emotions…” quote by John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41e/john-gardner-3092_fiction_what-the-best-fiction-does-is-make-power_1526153.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41e/john-gardner-3092_fiction_what-the-best-fiction-does-is-make-power_1526153.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41e/john-gardner-3092_fiction_what-the-best-fiction-does-is-make-power_1526153.jpg) > ““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 affirmations or else makes affirmations in a squeaky little voice. Powerful affirmation comes from strong intellect and strong emotions supported by adequate technique.”” [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great fiction affirms deep truths through strong intellect and emotion, while weak fiction offers shallow or misleading messages; technique supports powerful affirmation. **In simple terms:** Good fiction affirms truth with intellect and feeling. Key Takeaway Seek stories that blend intellect, emotion, and craft. Themes fiction truth emotion intellect technique Mood inspired analytical curious Type literary educational When to use this quote - reading classic literature - writing workshops - educational curricula - media analysis Key Concepts literary criticism psychology of narrative creative writing Questions to Reflect On - What stories have changed your worldview? - How does technique enhance or limit emotional impact? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on technique can stifle authentic voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Strong emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-emotions/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Fiction does not spring into the world fully grown, like Athena. It is the process of writing and rewriting that makes a fiction original,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/fiction-does-not-spring-into-the-world-fully-grown-like-athena-it-is/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“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 fiction writers are the most believable liars...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bea-cannon/the-best-fiction-writers-are-the-most-believable-liars/) [Bea Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bea-cannon/) > [“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 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/) > [“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/) ## More by John Gardner > [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthinking-love-as-calm-and-deep-as/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“They only think they think. No total vision, total system, merely schemes with a vague family resemblance, no more identity than bridges and, say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/they-only-think-they-think-no-total-vision-total-system-merely/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Except in stock locutions, such as "You were paid yesterday," "The Germans were defeated," or "The project was abandoned," the passive voice is virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/except-in-stock-locutions-such-as-you-were-paid-yesterday-the-germans/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-instruction-here-is-not-for-every-kind-of-writer-not-for-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Good writers may “tell” about almost anything in fiction except the characters’ feelings. One may tell the reader that the character went to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/good-writers-may-tell-about-almost-anything-in-fiction-except-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“the chief offense in bad fiction: we sense that characters are being manipulated, forced to do things they would not really do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-chief-offense-in-bad-fiction-we-sense-that-characters-are-being/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“There seems little or no hope for the adult writer who produces sentences like these: "Her cheeks were thick and smooth and held a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/there-seems-little-or-no-hope-for-the-adult-writer-who-produces/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In any long fiction, Henry James remarked, use of the first-person point of view is barbaric. James may go too far, but his point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-any-long-fiction-henry-james-remarked-use-of-the-first-person/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Nothing can be more limiting to the imagination than only writing about what you know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/nothing-can-be-more-limiting-to-the-imagination-than-only-writing/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [A nation that values bad philosophy above good plumbing will have neither good philosophy nor good plumbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/a-nation-that-values-bad-philosophy-above-good-plumbing-will-have/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-citizen-can-bring-our-political-and-governmental-institutions/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Talking, talking. Spinning a web of words, pale walls of dreams, between myself and all I see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/talking-talking-spinning-a-web-of-words-pale-walls-of-dreams-between/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In writing short stories—as in writing novels—take one thing at a time. (For some writers, this advice I'm giving may apply best to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-writing-short-stories-as-in-writing-novels-take-one-thing-at-a/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [All order, I've come to understand, is theoretical, unreal, a harmless, sensible, smiling mask men slide between the two great, dark realities, the self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-order-i-ve-come-to-understand-is-theoretical-unreal-a-harmless/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) [Explore all 138 John Gardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## 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": "“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 affirmations or else makes affirmations in a squeaky little voice. 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