--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great thing about science fiction is…" description: "\"The great thing about science fiction is that it transcends national boundaries.\" — Robert J. Sawyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a89/robert-j-sawyer-3858_fiction_the-great-thing-about-science-fiction-is_1294901.jpg" --- # The great thing about science fiction is that it… ![“The great thing about science fiction is that it transcends national boundaries.” quote by Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a89/robert-j-sawyer-3858_fiction_the-great-thing-about-science-fiction-is_1294901.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a89/robert-j-sawyer-3858_fiction_the-great-thing-about-science-fiction-is_1294901.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a89/robert-j-sawyer-3858_fiction_the-great-thing-about-science-fiction-is_1294901.jpg) > “The great thing about science fiction is that it transcends national boundaries.” [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author notes that science fiction transcends borders, fostering universal ideas and shared humanity across cultures. **In simple terms:** Science fiction unites people worldwide. Key Takeaway Use sci‑fi to explore global themes. Themes science fiction culture globalism Mood optimistic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - education - media - international collaboration Key Concepts literature future studies Questions to Reflect On - How does sci‑fi reflect your culture? - What universal themes resonate most? A Different Perspective Cultural differences can affect interpretation of sci‑fi themes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [Collins masterfully blends fact and fiction...transcends the historical thriller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/collins-masterfully-blends-fact-and-fiction-transcends-the-historical/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [The pursuit of truth in science transcends national boundaries. It takes us beyond hatred and anger and fear. It is the best of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/the-pursuit-of-truth-in-science-transcends-national-boundaries-it/) [Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/) > [Stupidity is a personal achievement which transcends national boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/stupidity-is-a-personal-achievement-which-transcends-national/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I wonder how the foreign policies of the United States would look if we wiped out the national boundaries of the world, at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-wonder-how-the-foreign-policies-of-the-united-states-would-look-if/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [In this new world economy, national boundaries are increasingly becoming obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/in-this-new-world-economy-national-boundaries-are-increasingly/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I know that my unity with all people cannot be destroyed by national boundaries and government orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-that-my-unity-with-all-people-cannot-be-destroyed-by-national/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The relevance for 9/11 is that what 9/11 marked was the beginning of a struggle in which the terrorists come at us and strike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/the-relevance-for-9-11-is-that-what-9-11-marked-was-the-beginning-of/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [Gods, religions and national boundaries are absolutely imaginary. They don't tend to exist. As soon as you pull back half a mile and look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/gods-religions-and-national-boundaries-are-absolutely-imaginary-they/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [It is neither necessary nor desirable that national boundaries should mark sharp differences in standards of living, that membership of a national group should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-neither-necessary-nor-desirable-that-national-boundaries-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you go to space, you'll look down and see no national boundaries. You'll never see the gods people are killing each other over,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/if-you-go-to-space-you-ll-look-down-and-see-no-national-boundaries/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When seen from outer space, our beautiful blue planet has no national boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-seen-from-outer-space-our-beautiful-blue-planet-has-no-national/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Imagine that foreign development is not done to our standards and a spill occurs. Neither geology nor ocean currents will respect our national boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-murkowski/imagine-that-foreign-development-is-not-done-to-our-standards-and-a/) [Lisa Murkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-murkowski/) > [National boundaries are not evident when we view the Earth from space. Fanatical ethnic or religious or national chauvinisms are a little difficult to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/national-boundaries-are-not-evident-when-we-view-the-earth-from-space/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [These transnationalists have little need for national loyalty, view national boundaries as obstacles that thankfully are vanishing, and see national governments as residues from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/these-transnationalists-have-little-need-for-national-loyalty-view/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [One of the wonders of science is that it is completely universal. It crosses national boundaries with total ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/one-of-the-wonders-of-science-is-that-it-is-completely-universal-it/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) ## More by Robert J. Sawyer > [Naturally, one does not normally discuss plans to commit murder with the intended victim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/naturally-one-does-not-normally-discuss-plans-to-commit-murder-with/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Not wanting to die was another universal constant, it seemed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/not-wanting-to-die-was-another-universal-constant-it-seemed/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [I'm much more interested in writing about the things that engage and enrage me as an adult rather than in wallowing in childhood sorrows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-m-much-more-interested-in-writing-about-the-things-that-engage-and/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Our job is not to predict the future. Rather, it's to suggest all the possible futures - so that society can make informed decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/our-job-is-not-to-predict-the-future-rather-it-s-to-suggest-all-the/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [That natural selection can produce changes within a type is disputed by no one, not even the staunchest creationist. But that it can transform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/that-natural-selection-can-produce-changes-within-a-type-is-disputed/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [“You really did uplift me. You gave me the perspective and point of view and focus I needed to become truly conscious. Without you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/you-really-did-uplift-me-you-gave-me-the-perspective-and-point-of/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [I'm often characterized as an optimistic writer, and certainly my 'Neanderthal Parallax' and 'WWW' trilogies shade toward the utopian. I like to think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-m-often-characterized-as-an-optimistic-writer-and-certainly-my/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [I started wondering why it is that people line up behind charismatic leaders. It's easy to understand the emergence of a figure who's narcissistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-started-wondering-why-it-is-that-people-line-up-behind-charismatic/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [When you're changing centuries, people get curious about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/when-you-re-changing-centuries-people-get-curious-about-the-future/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Real people are complex, contradictory, and have their own motivations - they can't just be mouthpieces for the writers' point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/real-people-are-complex-contradictory-and-have-their-own-motivations/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [“All right,” he said. “Since you asked, Webmind is an emergent quantum-computational system based on a stable null-sigma condensate that resists decoherence thanks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/all-right-he-said-since-you-asked-webmind-is-an-emergent-quantum/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Social progress is a big thing for me. Although science fiction is traditionally concerned with the hard sciences, which is chemistry, physics, and, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/social-progress-is-a-big-thing-for-me-although-science-fiction-is/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Fiction is all about vicarious experiences and getting into other people's heads in a way that no other art form lets you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/fiction-is-all-about-vicarious-experiences-and-getting-into-other/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Secrecy was the problem; transparency the obvious cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/secrecy-was-the-problem-transparency-the-obvious-cure/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [I'm a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-m-a-member-of-the-writers-guild-of-america-and-the-writers-guild-of/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) [Explore all 116 Robert J. Sawyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) Edward Einhorn > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) Coheed and Cambria > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The great thing about science fiction is that it transcends national boundaries.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert J. 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