---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Researching real history has taught me to…"
description: "\"Researching real history has taught me to be bolder and more imaginative in building fantasy worlds and writing fantasy characters, to seek out the mar..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/ken-liu-4222_building_researching-real-history-has-taught-me-t_2163450.jpg"
---

#  Researching real history has taught me to be bolder and…

![“Researching real history has taught me to be bolder and more imaginative in building fantasy worlds and writing fantasy characters, to seek out the margins of history and the forgotten tales that illuminate the whole, complex truth of our flawed yet wondrous nature as a species.” quote by Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/ken-liu-4222_building_researching-real-history-has-taught-me-t_2163450.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/ken-liu-4222_building_researching-real-history-has-taught-me-t_2163450.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/ken-liu-4222_building_researching-real-history-has-taught-me-t_2163450.jpg)

> “Researching real history has taught me to be bolder and more imaginative in building fantasy worlds and writing fantasy characters, to seek out the margins of history and the forgotten tales that illuminate the whole, complex truth of our flawed yet wondrous nature as a species.”

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

## About This Quote

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

Studying real history inspires bold, imaginative fantasy by exploring marginal and forgotten narratives that reveal humanity’s complex nature.

**In simple terms:** History fuels imaginative fantasy through forgotten stories.

Key Takeaway

Incorporate historical margins into world‑building.

Themes

history fantasy creativity

Mood

analytical inspired

Type

educational creative

When to use this quote

- novel writing
- game design
- educational curricula

Key Concepts

margins truth human nature

Questions to Reflect On

- Which historical margins can enrich your story?
- How do you balance fact and imagination?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on obscure facts can alienate readers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bolder Imaginative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bolder-imaginative-4599211/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Building Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-fantasy-1787523/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Imaginative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginative/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-history-552310/) [Researching Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/researching-real-1746610/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [If you're building a fantasy world that exists outside of the rules of our real world, why would you write it to conform to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lachlan-watson/if-you-re-building-a-fantasy-world-that-exists-outside-of-the-rules/)

[Lachlan Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lachlan-watson/)

> [Researching real people and doing them, I think, is harder than anything else. You don't want to do a caricature of them and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-root/researching-real-people-and-doing-them-i-think-is-harder-than/)

[Stephen Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-root/)

> [Real history is far more complex and interesting than the simplistic summaries presented in Wikipedia articles. Knowing this allows you to question received wisdom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/real-history-is-far-more-complex-and-interesting-than-the-simplistic/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [Wimbledon is the only tournament where you feel the real history of tennis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/wimbledon-is-the-only-tournament-where-you-feel-the-real-history-of/)

[Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/)

> [When the real history of the world is written, it will show god’s dealings with men, and the place the gospel has played in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-r-mcconkie/when-the-real-history-of-the-world-is-written-it-will-show-god-s/)

[Bruce R. McConkie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-r-mcconkie/)

> [“When I started researching airline stewardesses, I found that the topic made for amusing cocktail party banter. “You’re writing a book about that? Wow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-vantoch/when-i-started-researching-airline-stewardesses-i-found-that-the/)

[Victoria Vantoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-vantoch/)

> [“Most civilizations had more fiction than they did real history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/most-civilizations-had-more-fiction-than-they-did-real-history/)

[Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/)

> [To me, the difference between mythology and real history is that the real history has to tell a kind of believable story of how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-heller/to-me-the-difference-between-mythology-and-real-history-is-that-the/)

[Bruno Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-heller/)

> [The law reports in newspapers contain perhaps the only real history of England that has any relation to truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baldwin-ross/the-law-reports-in-newspapers-contain-perhaps-the-only-real-history/)

[Robert Baldwin Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baldwin-ross/)

> [The real history, the one that counts and is not to be found in books, is precisely this one, the one made by simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenio-montale/the-real-history-the-one-that-counts-and-is-not-to-be-found-in-books/)

[Eugenio Montale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenio-montale/)

> [“Psychology has a long past, yet its real history is short.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-ebbinghaus/psychology-has-a-long-past-yet-its-real-history-is-short/)

[Hermann Ebbinghaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-ebbinghaus/)

> [How real is history? Is it just an enormous soup so full of disparate ingredients that it is uncharacterizable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cahill/how-real-is-history-is-it-just-an-enormous-soup-so-full-of-disparate/)

[Thomas Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cahill/)

> [The real history of consciousness starts with one's first lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/the-real-history-of-consciousness-starts-with-one-s-first-lie/)

[Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/)

> [When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/when-the-real-history-of-mankind-is-fully-disclosed-will-it-feature/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [“The purpose of history, as I see it, is to uncover the forces which move the pawns on the chess board of the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willis-a-carto/the-purpose-of-history-as-i-see-it-is-to-uncover-the-forces-which/)

[Willis A. Carto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willis-a-carto/)

## More by Ken Liu

> [I don't believe in reducing a style and a voice down to a set of descriptions, so I've never done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-don-t-believe-in-reducing-a-style-and-a-voice-down-to-a-set-of/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [People who are ambitious - politicians who crave power - think that they're in control of it, but at some point, the movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/people-who-are-ambitious-politicians-who-crave-power-think-that-they/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [“My goal is to act as a faithful interpreter, preserving as much of the original's nuances of meaning as possible without embellishment or omission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-goal-is-to-act-as-a-faithful-interpreter-preserving-as-much-of-the/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [“It’s hard to hear the music behind the words when their meanings get in the way,” she told me once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/it-s-hard-to-hear-the-music-behind-the-words-when-their-meanings-get/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [The 'silk' in silkpunk refers not to a source of power, but to an entirely different, expressive technology language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/the-silk-in-silkpunk-refers-not-to-a-source-of-power-but-to-an/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [“A memory is a re-creation, precious because it is both more and less than the original.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/a-memory-is-a-re-creation-precious-because-it-is-both-more-and-less/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [Almost all of my stories can be understood to be elaborations on our drive to remake the world and our adjustments to the result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/almost-all-of-my-stories-can-be-understood-to-be-elaborations-on-our/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [“Dad and I went on walking, our shadows touching.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/dad-and-i-went-on-walking-our-shadows-touching/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [“I can only wish that someday you’ll also be pestered by a student as persistent to learn what you do not wish to teach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-can-only-wish-that-someday-you-ll-also-be-pestered-by-a-student-as/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [I think male authors who want to try to tackle these issues of representation of women can generally do a better job if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-think-male-authors-who-want-to-try-to-tackle-these-issues-of/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [“Surveillance is surveillance. I can never understand why some people think it matters whether it's the government doing it to you or a company.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/surveillance-is-surveillance-i-can-never-understand-why-some-people/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [Whenever you talk about Chinese dragons, emperors, palaces, concubines - they conjure up a whole colonial argle-bargle that has nothing to do with historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/whenever-you-talk-about-chinese-dragons-emperors-palaces-concubines/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [We have never had a society that was truly just. Some groups have always benefited at the expense of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/we-have-never-had-a-society-that-was-truly-just-some-groups-have/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [“By custom, we wield the sword and wear the armor, but who among you does not know a mother, sister, daughter, friend, who exceeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/by-custom-we-wield-the-sword-and-wear-the-armor-but-who-among-you/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [My wife, Lisa, and I both grew up on wuxia - Chinese historical romances. They're kind of analogous to Western epics. They're based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-wife-lisa-and-i-both-grew-up-on-wuxia-chinese-historical-romances/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

[Explore all 114 Ken Liu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

## More Building quotes

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/)

[Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/)

> [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/)

[Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/)

> [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/)

[Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/)

> [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/)

[Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/)

> [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/)

[Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/)

[Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/)

[Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Researching real history has taught me to be bolder and more imaginative in building fantasy worlds and writing fantasy characters, to seek out the margins of history and the forgotten tales that illuminate the whole, complex truth of our flawed yet wondrous nature as a species.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ken Liu"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/researching-real-history-has-taught-me-to-be-bolder-and-more/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Building"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/researching-real-history-has-taught-me-to-be-bolder-and-more/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/ken-liu-4222_building_researching-real-history-has-taught-me-t_2163450.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/ken-liu-4222_building_researching-real-history-has-taught-me-t_2163450.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/ken-liu-4222_building_researching-real-history-has-taught-me-t_2163450.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Researching real history has taught me to be bolder and more imaginative in building fantasy worlds and…” — Ken Liu",
                "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": "Ken Liu",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Researching real history has taught me...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/researching-real-history-has-taught-me-to-be-bolder-and-more/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/researching-real-history-has-taught-me-to-be-bolder-and-more/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
