--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Therefore, no matter how the world makes…" description: "\"Therefore, no matter how the world makes out in the next few centuries, a large class of readers at least will not be too surprised at anything. They w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/l-sprague-de-camp-44379_arise_therefore-no-matter-how-the-world-makes_2246906.jpg" --- # Therefore, no matter how the world makes out in the next… ![“Therefore, no matter how the world makes out in the next few centuries, a large class of readers at least will not be too surprised at anything. They will have been through it all before in fictional form, and will not be too paralyzed with astonishment to try to cope with contingencies as they…” quote by L. Sprague de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/l-sprague-de-camp-44379_arise_therefore-no-matter-how-the-world-makes_2246906.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/l-sprague-de-camp-44379_arise_therefore-no-matter-how-the-world-makes_2246906.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/l-sprague-de-camp-44379_arise_therefore-no-matter-how-the-world-makes_2246906.jpg) > “Therefore, no matter how the world makes out in the next few centuries, a large class of readers at least will not be too surprised at anything. They will have been through it all before in fictional form, and will not be too paralyzed with astonishment to try to cope with contingencies as they arise.” [L. Sprague de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-sprague-de-camp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Readers accustomed to speculative fiction will not be shocked by future events because they have already imagined similar scenarios. **In simple terms:** Fiction prepares us for real futures. Key Takeaway Use imagination to anticipate change. Themes future imagination preparedness Mood thoughtful anticipatory Type speculative practical When to use this quote - technology adoption - policy planning - personal resilience Key Concepts science fiction cognitive adaptation cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - What scenarios have you imagined that later occurred? - How can we balance imagination with realism? A Different Perspective Fiction may also create unrealistic expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arise/) [Astonishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishment/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Centuries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centuries/) [Centuries Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centuries-large-5117489/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Contingency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contingency/) [Fictional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictional/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Make out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-out/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Paralyzed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paralyzed/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Readers Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers-surprised-5117488/) [Surprised Fictional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprised-fictional-5117490/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I trust it will not be giving away professional secrets to say that many readers would be surprised, perhaps shocked, at the questions which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-chopin/i-trust-it-will-not-be-giving-away-professional-secrets-to-say-that/) [Kate Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-chopin/) > [For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-as-the-aged-or-those-whose-sight-is-defective-when-any-book/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Probably the undertaker thinks less of death than almost any other man. He is so accustomed to it that his mind must involuntarily turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/probably-the-undertaker-thinks-less-of-death-than-almost-any-other/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Much has been said about the meanings we make of illness, but what about the meanings we make out of cure? 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There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gallagher/a-competitive-threat-is-not-the-same-thing-as-an-antitrust-violation/) [Peter Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gallagher/) > [Surrealism can only deliver a reactionary judgment; can make out of history only an accumulation of oddities, a joke, a death trip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/surrealism-can-only-deliver-a-reactionary-judgment-can-make-out-of/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [I'm always surprised when actors say they don't like sex scenes. It's like a freebie. It's fun to make out with someone. So yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-davis/i-m-always-surprised-when-actors-say-they-don-t-like-sex-scenes-it-s/) [Mackenzie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-davis/) > [A gentleman, is a rarer thing than some of us think for. 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And who knows, maybe it'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lambert/i-ve-been-known-to-make-out-with-girls-from-time-to-time-couple/) [Adam Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lambert/) > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) ## More by L. Sprague de Camp > [There is no mistaking the dismay on the face of a writer who has just heard that his brain child is a deformed idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-sprague-de-camp/there-is-no-mistaking-the-dismay-on-the-face-of-a-writer-who-has-just/) [L. Sprague de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-sprague-de-camp/) > [“Not at all," persisted Chalmers, unaware that Shea was trying to shush him. 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Not with the persecution we have to put up with!" "Persecution?" "Religious persecution. We won't stand for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-sprague-de-camp/you-don-t-like-the-goths-no-not-with-the-persecution-we-have-to-put/) [L. Sprague De Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-sprague-de-camp/) > [It does not pay a prophet to be too specific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-sprague-de-camp/it-does-not-pay-a-prophet-to-be-too-specific/) [L. Sprague de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-sprague-de-camp/) > [“There is no mistaking the dismay on the face of a writer who has just learned that his brain child is a deformed idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-sprague-de-camp/there-is-no-mistaking-the-dismay-on-the-face-of-a-writer-who-has-just-2/) [L. Sprague de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-sprague-de-camp/) > [The story of civilization is, in a sense, the story of engineering-that long and arduous struggle to make the forces of nature work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-sprague-de-camp/the-story-of-civilization-is-in-a-sense-the-story-of-engineering-that/) [L. Sprague de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-sprague-de-camp/) [Explore all 9 L. Sprague de Camp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-sprague-de-camp/) ## More Arise quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Let art, then, imitate nature, find what she desires, and follow as she directs. 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These chaotic fluctuations are, I suppose, what my music is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/in-my-model-important-interference-phenomena-arise-when-individual/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [Whenever you step out of the noise of thinking, that is meditation, and a different state of consciousness arises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/whenever-you-step-out-of-the-noise-of-thinking-that-is-meditation-and/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [An idea or institution may arise for one reason and be maintained for quite a different reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/an-idea-or-institution-may-arise-for-one-reason-and-be-maintained-for/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [The oppressed without hope are mysteriously quiet. When the conception of change is beyond the limits of the possible, there are no words to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-rowbotham/the-oppressed-without-hope-are-mysteriously-quiet-when-the-conception/) [Sheila Rowbotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-rowbotham/) > [I arise full of eagerness and energy, knowing well what achievement lies ahead of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/i-arise-full-of-eagerness-and-energy-knowing-well-what-achievement/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [When you train your thoughts to dissolve as they arise, they will cross your mind like a bird crosses the sky--without leaving a trace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julietta-suzuki/when-you-train-your-thoughts-to-dissolve-as-they-arise-they-will/) [Julietta Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julietta-suzuki/) > [Nothing, not even the best and noblest, can go on as it now is. 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