---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In time truth and science and nature will…"
description: "\"In time truth and science and nature will adapt themselves to art. Things will happen logically, and the villain be discomfited instead of being electe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/o-henry-3281_alimony_in-time-truth-and-science-and-nature-wil_2364720.jpg"
---

#  In time truth and science and nature will adapt themselves…

![“In time truth and science and nature will adapt themselves to art. Things will happen logically, and the villain be discomfited instead of being elected to the board of directors. But in the meantime fiction must not only be divorced from fact, but must pay alimony and be awarded custody of the…” quote by O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/o-henry-3281_alimony_in-time-truth-and-science-and-nature-wil_2364720.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/o-henry-3281_alimony_in-time-truth-and-science-and-nature-wil_2364720.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/o-henry-3281_alimony_in-time-truth-and-science-and-nature-wil_2364720.jpg)

> “In time truth and science and nature will adapt themselves to art. Things will happen logically, and the villain be discomfited instead of being elected to the board of directors. But in the meantime fiction must not only be divorced from fact, but must pay alimony and be awarded custody of the press despatches.”

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

## About This Quote

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

Art reshapes truth, science, and nature, while fiction must stay grounded and influence media responsibly.

**In simple terms:** Art changes reality, but must stay linked to facts.

Key Takeaway

Balance creativity with factual integrity.

Themes

art truth media responsibility

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- journalism
- fiction writing
- public discourse

Key Concepts

creative influence media ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- Can fiction responsibly shape public opinion?
- What limits should media have on artistic expression?

A Different Perspective

Art cannot replace truth; it must complement it.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alimony/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Board of directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/board-of-directors/) [Boards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boards/) [Custody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/custody/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Divorced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divorced/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Divorced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-divorced-5802892/) [Happen Logically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen-logically-5802894/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Logically Villain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logically-villain-5802893/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Presses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presses/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Villain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/villain/) [Villain Discomfited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/villain-discomfited-5802895/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/alimony-the-ransom-that-the-happy-pay-to-the-devil/)

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> [L.A. ispolluted. It's overpopulated. But it is very much home. It was inevitable for me, the moving back. I was living in San Francisco,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/l-a-ispolluted-it-s-overpopulated-but-it-is-very-much-home-it-was/)

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> [I know a lot of writers who would much rather be writing the Great American Novel, but they've got bills to pay and alimony,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/i-know-a-lot-of-writers-who-would-much-rather-be-writing-the-great/)

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> [“On alimony: "Why should it be your ex's responsibility to give you a lifestyle that you yourself cannot afford?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-johnson/on-alimony-why-should-it-be-your-ex-s-responsibility-to-give-you-a/)

[emma johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-johnson/)

> [My mother didn't feel sorry for herself, she was left with no child support, no alimony at a very young age, with a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/my-mother-didn-t-feel-sorry-for-herself-she-was-left-with-no-child/)

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> [My compulsion to always be working has become less strong and my current business is purely down to this enormous alimony. If I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/my-compulsion-to-always-be-working-has-become-less-strong-and-my/)

[John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/)

> [I'm paying the third highest alimony and child support in the world. And the only two ahead of me are sheiks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-reynolds/i-m-paying-the-third-highest-alimony-and-child-support-in-the-world/)

[Burt Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-reynolds/)

> [“We have FCC, abandoned alimony payments, assault and battery, Homeland Security escalation, and that's before we invite the IRS to take a walk on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-goldstein/we-have-fcc-abandoned-alimony-payments-assault-and-battery-homeland/)

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> [Bigamy is one way of avoiding the painful publicity of divorce and the expense of alimony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-herford/bigamy-is-one-way-of-avoiding-the-painful-publicity-of-divorce-and/)

[Oliver Herford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-herford/)

> [Let me be serious: divorce is a sacred institution between a man and a woman who hate each other. God wanted Adam to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/let-me-be-serious-divorce-is-a-sacred-institution-between-a-man-and-a/)

[Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/)

> [People go to restaurants for so many different reasons. To court a girl, to make some deal. Maybe to talk to some lawyer about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-talese/people-go-to-restaurants-for-so-many-different-reasons-to-court-a/)

[Gay Talese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-talese/)

> [Most men don't realize their wife's worth till a judge decides the alimony amount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-men-don-t-realize-their-wife-s-worth-till-a-judge-decides-the/)

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

> [We're all divorced from reality; the only question is whether you're paying alimony or receiving it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/we-re-all-divorced-from-reality-the-only-question-is-whether-you-re/)

[John Alejandro King Aka The Covert Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/)

> [There are so many varieties of films. You've got the jet-lagged films, where you fly to Bulgaria or wherever and get off the plane,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/there-are-so-many-varieties-of-films-you-ve-got-the-jet-lagged-films/)

[Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/)

## More by O. Henry

> [He seemed to be made of sunshine and blood-red tissue and clear weather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/he-seemed-to-be-made-of-sunshine-and-blood-red-tissue-and-clear/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [My advice to you, if you should ever be in a hold up, is to line up with the cowards and save your bravery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/my-advice-to-you-if-you-should-ever-be-in-a-hold-up-is-to-line-up/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [“It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/it-did-not-exactly-beggar-description-but-it-certainly-had-that-word/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [Fortune is a prize to be won. Adventure is the road to it. Chance is what may lurk in the shadows at the roadside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/fortune-is-a-prize-to-be-won-adventure-is-the-road-to-it-chance-is/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [She plucked from my lapel the invisible strand of lint (the universal act of woman to proclaim ownership).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/she-plucked-from-my-lapel-the-invisible-strand-of-lint-the-universal/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [There is no well defined boundary line between honesty and dishonesty. The frontiers of one blend with the outside limits of the other, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/there-is-no-well-defined-boundary-line-between-honesty-and-dishonesty/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [All great men have declared that they owe their sucess to the aid and encouragement of some brilliant woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/all-great-men-have-declared-that-they-owe-their-sucess-to-the-aid-and/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [Those whom we first love we seldom marry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/those-whom-we-first-love-we-seldom-marry/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [Young artists must pave their way to Art by drawing pictures for magazine stories that young authors write to pave their way to Literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/young-artists-must-pave-their-way-to-art-by-drawing-pictures-for/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [A good story is like a bitter pill, with the sugar coating inside of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/a-good-story-is-like-a-bitter-pill-with-the-sugar-coating-inside-of-it/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [I've got some of my best yarns from park benches, lamp posts and newspaper stands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/i-ve-got-some-of-my-best-yarns-from-park-benches-lamp-posts-and/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

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> [I never have time to read now. I did all my reading before I was twenty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/i-never-have-time-to-read-now-i-did-all-my-reading-before-i-was-twenty/)

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> [Bride knoweth bride at the glance of an eye. And between them swiftly passes comfort and meaning in a language that man and widows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/bride-knoweth-bride-at-the-glance-of-an-eye-and-between-them-swiftly/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [No friendship is an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/no-friendship-is-an-accident/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

[Explore all 135 O. Henry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

## More Alimony quotes

> [Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/alimony-the-ransom-that-the-happy-pay-to-the-devil/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [We're all divorced from reality; the only question is whether you're paying alimony or receiving it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/we-re-all-divorced-from-reality-the-only-question-is-whether-you-re/)

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[Burt Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-reynolds/)

> [My compulsion to always be working has become less strong and my current business is purely down to this enormous alimony. If I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/my-compulsion-to-always-be-working-has-become-less-strong-and-my/)

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> [Alimony is like buying oats for a dead horse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-baer/alimony-is-like-buying-oats-for-a-dead-horse/)

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