--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had been getting sidetracked by the…" description: "\"“I had been getting sidetracked by the idea that an entire fearsome race of aliens had given themselves goofy names because of the names I had thoughtl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/john-scalzi-2071_aliens_i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-id_920528.png" --- # I had been getting sidetracked by the idea that an entire… ![“I had been getting sidetracked by the idea that an entire fearsome race of aliens had given themselves goofy names because of the names I had thoughtlessly given two of them more than a decade before;” quote by John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/john-scalzi-2071_aliens_i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-id_920528.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/john-scalzi-2071_aliens_i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-id_920528.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/john-scalzi-2071_aliens_i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-id_920528.png) > ““I had been getting sidetracked by the idea that an entire fearsome race of aliens had given themselves goofy names because of the names I had thoughtlessly given two of them more than a decade before;”” [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on naming alien races, highlighting how careless choices can have lasting effects. **In simple terms:** Names we give can have unexpected consequences. Key Takeaway Consider the impact of your words. Themes creativity responsibility humor Mood playful reflective Type literary humorous When to use this quote - writing - branding - character development - worldbuilding Key Concepts naming cultural impact science fiction Questions to Reflect On - How do names shape perception? - What responsibilities come with naming? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper implications. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Aliens Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens-given-1421861/) [Goofy Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goofy-names-1421863/) [Names Thoughtlessly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names-thoughtlessly-1421860/) [Race Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-aliens-1421862/) ## Related quotes > [Guns don’t kill people. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/) [Twe Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twe-stephens/) > [The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. 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Exept I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/ay-firmative-eve-said-and-tried-for-a-smile-sorry-an-aliens-reference/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) ## More by John Scalzi > [“To everyone who thinks writing a sequel should be easy because you've already clreated the universe: Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha! Heh.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/to-everyone-who-thinks-writing-a-sequel-should-be-easy-because-you-ve/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [When you're a kid all you want to do is be somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/when-you-re-a-kid-all-you-want-to-do-is-be-somewhere-else/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [Being poor is people wondering why you didn't leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/being-poor-is-people-wondering-why-you-didn-t-leave/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [“It’s a hell of a thing to say good-bye to your whole life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/it-s-a-hell-of-a-thing-to-say-good-bye-to-your-whole-life/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [“That as far as I can tell,” Jenkins said, “it’s not actually a very good show.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/that-as-far-as-i-can-tell-jenkins-said-it-s-not-actually-a-very-good/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [I both love and am terrified by Greg Van Eekhout's vision of Los Angeles. 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They were beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/the-diagnostics-and-modifications-screens-ugly-and-utilitarian-just/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [“You can’t afford anthropomorphic biases when some of the aliens most like us would rather make human hamburgers than peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/you-can-t-afford-anthropomorphic-biases-when-some-of-the-aliens-most/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [Ultimately the first, best step in getting your work noticed is to write good work. If people don't engage in your writing, no amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/ultimately-the-first-best-step-in-getting-your-work-noticed-is-to/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [“It was this philosophy that had Harvey taking the hovercraft Sagan had stolen, mounting it, and, after a few moments to glean the fundamentals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/it-was-this-philosophy-that-had-harvey-taking-the-hovercraft-sagan/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [I tell people the first time I decided to write a novel I was in my mid-20s, and it was, 'Well, it's time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/i-tell-people-the-first-time-i-decided-to-write-a-novel-i-was-in-my/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [“I don't think food safety laws are going to protect you from a third carnitas burrito," Hanson said. "That's not about food safety. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/i-don-t-think-food-safety-laws-are-going-to-protect-you-from-a-third/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife's grave. Then I joined the army.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/i-did-two-things-on-my-seventy-fifth-birthday-i-visited-my-wife-s/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) [Explore all 187 John Scalzi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) ## More Aliens quotes > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) > [Ay-firmative,' Eve said, and tried for a smile. 'Sorry. 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Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-fan-of-any-genre-but-am-a-fan-of-movies-that-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/) [Twe Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twe-stephens/) > [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. 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Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Browse all 1,329 Aliens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I had been getting sidetracked by the idea that an entire fearsome race of aliens had given themselves goofy names because of the names I had thoughtlessly given two of them more than a decade before;”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Scalzi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-idea-that-an-entire-fearsome/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aliens" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-idea-that-an-entire-fearsome/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/john-scalzi-2071_aliens_i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-id_920528.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/john-scalzi-2071_aliens_i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-id_920528.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/john-scalzi-2071_aliens_i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-id_920528.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had been getting sidetracked by the idea that an entire fearsome race of aliens had given themselves goofy…” — John Scalzi", "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": "John Scalzi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I had been getting sidetracked by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-idea-that-an-entire-fearsome/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/i-had-been-getting-sidetracked-by-the-idea-that-an-entire-fearsome/#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 } } ] } ```