--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science fiction is a great way to pretend…" description: "\"Science fiction is a great way to pretend you are writing about the future when in reality you are attacking the recent past and the present. You can c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/ray-bradbury-75_attacking_science-fiction-is-a-great-way-to-preten_2362994.jpg" --- # Science fiction is a great way to pretend you are writing… ![“Science fiction is a great way to pretend you are writing about the future when in reality you are attacking the recent past and the present. You can criticize communists, racists, fascists or any other clear and present danger, and they can't imagine you are writing about them.” quote by Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/ray-bradbury-75_attacking_science-fiction-is-a-great-way-to-preten_2362994.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/ray-bradbury-75_attacking_science-fiction-is-a-great-way-to-preten_2362994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/ray-bradbury-75_attacking_science-fiction-is-a-great-way-to-preten_2362994.jpg) > “Science fiction is a great way to pretend you are writing about the future when in reality you are attacking the recent past and the present. You can criticize communists, racists, fascists or any other clear and present danger, and they can't imagine you are writing about them.” [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science fiction uses future settings to critique current societal issues covertly. **In simple terms:** SF critiques present via future stories. Key Takeaway Use genre to explore controversial topics. Themes literature politics critique Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - teaching - activism - creative writing - media analysis Key Concepts allegory social commentary future speculation Questions to Reflect On - What present issues could be explored through sci‑fi? - How does setting affect perception of critique? A Different Perspective Readers may miss the underlying message. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clear And Present Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear-and-present-danger/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Fascists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascists/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Racist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racist/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Recent past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recent-past/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Fancy rules over two thirds of the universe, the past, and future, while reality is confined to the present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fancy-rules-over-two-thirds-of-the-universe-the-past-and-future-while/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The future has no other reality than as present hope, and the past is no more than present memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-future-has-no-other-reality-than-as-present-hope-and-the-past-is/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Thus my faith grew that my beautiful dream for the future would become reality after all, even though this might require long years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/thus-my-faith-grew-that-my-beautiful-dream-for-the-future-would/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I don't think we're going to see the price of oil going down in the near future, that's the reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-don-t-think-we-re-going-to-see-the-price-of-oil-going-down-in-the/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [“To achieve the impossible, you need to first develop the mindset that it’s probable. Please don’t allow the current limits of your life define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/to-achieve-the-impossible-you-need-to-first-develop-the-mindset-that-2/) [robin sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [“At some point the future becomes reality. And then it quickly becomes the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/at-some-point-the-future-becomes-reality-and-then-it-quickly-becomes/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You’re writing someone’s ‘future’ favorite book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-kirin/you-re-writing-someone-s-future-favorite-book/) [M. Kirin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-kirin/) > [My hope is that I can continue writing and, in the future, I can just be Maya Soetoro-Ng.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-soetoro-ng/my-hope-is-that-i-can-continue-writing-and-in-the-future-i-can-just/) [Maya Soetoro-Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-soetoro-ng/) > [“We know that to give writing its future, it is necessary to overthrow the myth: the birth of the reader must be at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/we-know-that-to-give-writing-its-future-it-is-necessary-to-overthrow/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [Does fiction, artistic writing, have much of a future? I must say it's on the way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/does-fiction-artistic-writing-have-much-of-a-future-i-must-say-it-s/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [There's no such thing as writing about the future. The future hasn't happened yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/there-s-no-such-thing-as-writing-about-the-future-the-future-hasn-t/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [“I'm happy when I write. I've written my first novel, my pencil is down. My last work has been written. No turning back. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-salick/i-m-happy-when-i-write-i-ve-written-my-first-novel-my-pencil-is-down/) Missy Salick > [Writing about the future and the past is less a way of dramatizing change than of showing, by way of contrast, what abides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/writing-about-the-future-and-the-past-is-less-a-way-of-dramatizing/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“We are writing the future in Letters of Fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-are-writing-the-future-in-letters-of-fire/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Fiction is a great combination between experience and imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desi-puspitasari/fiction-is-a-great-combination-between-experience-and-imagination/) [Desi Puspitasari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desi-puspitasari/) ## More by Ray Bradbury > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Do you ever read any of the books you burn?" He laughed. "That's against the law!" "Oh. Of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-ever-read-any-of-the-books-you-burn-he-laughed-that-s-against/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [There's no reason to burn books if you don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-s-no-reason-to-burn-books-if-you-don-t-read-them/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Remember, with writing, what you’re looking for is just one person to come up and tell you, 'I love you for what you do.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/remember-with-writing-what-you-re-looking-for-is-just-one-person-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“You can’t learn to write in college. It’s a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-can-t-learn-to-write-in-college-it-s-a-very-bad-place-for-writers/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We're going to become the martians when we land there. When we explore and build communities, we become the martians. That's a wonderful destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-re-going-to-become-the-martians-when-we-land-there-when-we-explore/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. ... I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-wish-you-a-wrestling-match-with-your-creative-muse-that-will-last-a/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-travel-for-romance-we-travel-for-architecture-and-we-travel-to-be/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-spent-three-days-a-week-for-10-years-educating-myself-in-the-public/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If we try to deny the darkness in our souls then we'll become completely dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/if-we-try-to-deny-the-darkness-in-our-souls-then-we-ll-become/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/but-remember-that-the-captain-belongs-to-the-most-dangerous-enemy-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Explore all 1,520 Ray Bradbury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More Attacking quotes > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Wine is the first weapon that devils use in attacking the young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/wine-is-the-first-weapon-that-devils-use-in-attacking-the-young/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [I've gotten better at calling out coverages, communication, and being vertical when they're attacking me in the paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivica-zubac/i-ve-gotten-better-at-calling-out-coverages-communication-and-being/) [Ivica Zubac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivica-zubac/) > [Before I signed for Liverpool, I was playing for Newcastle as a No. 10 - basically, I was always attacking. I didn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georginio-wijnaldum/before-i-signed-for-liverpool-i-was-playing-for-newcastle-as-a-no-10/) [Georginio Wijnaldum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georginio-wijnaldum/) > [It's a big part of my game, attacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-walker/it-s-a-big-part-of-my-game-attacking/) [Kyle Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-walker/) > [When I was elected governor of my state, I had a legislature 87 percent Democrat. It was not lost on me that to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/when-i-was-elected-governor-of-my-state-i-had-a-legislature-87/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [This is really good,” Donovan Caine said, attacking his third strawberry pancake. “You sound surprised,” I said. He shrugged. “I just didn’t think an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/this-is-really-good-donovan-caine-said-attacking-his-third-strawberry/) [Jennifer Estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [Dravid Could play attacking cricket like me but i could never play like him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gayle/dravid-could-play-attacking-cricket-like-me-but-i-could-never-play/) [Chris Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gayle/) > [Islamic fundamentalism is attacking us at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/islamic-fundamentalism-is-attacking-us-at-home/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [“California cat that chased off attacking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/california-cat-that-chased-off-attacking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I listen to candidates spend all their time attacking Barack Obama, I'm glad they're not driving this bus because they'd be looking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/when-i-listen-to-candidates-spend-all-their-time-attacking-barack/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [For many years the stakes were clear. There were the Arabs attacking us and us defending ourselves, so basically there were no real problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/for-many-years-the-stakes-were-clear-there-were-the-arabs-attacking/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) Browse all 580 Attacking quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Science fiction is a great way to pretend you are writing about the future when in reality you are attacking the recent past and the present. 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