--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always thought of science fiction as…" description: "\"I've always thought of science fiction as being, at some level, a 19th-century business.\" — Robert Reed" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/robert-reed-23290_19th-century_i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-a_1277194.jpg" --- # I've always thought of science fiction as being, at some… ![“I've always thought of science fiction as being, at some level, a 19th-century business.” quote by Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/robert-reed-23290_19th-century_i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-a_1277194.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/robert-reed-23290_19th-century_i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-a_1277194.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/robert-reed-23290_19th-century_i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-a_1277194.jpg) > “I've always thought of science fiction as being, at some level, a 19th-century business.” [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) ## 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 reflects and predicts societal trends, acting as a commercial lens on future possibilities. **In simple terms:** Sci‑fi mirrors society. Key Takeaway Consider the market forces shaping narratives. Themes culture future economics Mood analytical thought‑provoking Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - publishing - film production - technology forecasting - academic study Key Concepts media theory speculative fiction Questions to Reflect On - How does profit influence story themes? - Can sci‑fi stay radical under market pressure? A Different Perspective Commercial motives can limit artistic freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [19th century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/19th-century/) [Century Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century-business-4113347/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-level-4113346/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Thought Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-science-446563/) ## Related quotes > [“I've always thought that science and fiction writing have a lot in common because they're both about modeling reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/i-ve-always-thought-that-science-and-fiction-writing-have-a-lot-in/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [“We can get some relatively clear thought in science. But even there it is not entirely clear because scientists are worried about their prestige…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/we-can-get-some-relatively-clear-thought-in-science-but-even-there-it/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [If you thought that science was certain - well, that is just an error on your part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/if-you-thought-that-science-was-certain-well-that-is-just-an-error-on/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“Creative thought in science is exactly this - not a mechanical collection on of facts and intuition, bias, and insight from other fields. Science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/creative-thought-in-science-is-exactly-this-not-a-mechanical/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [“I have a deep thought for you. Science fiction is just beginning to catch up with the Old Testament. See artificial nitrates run off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-have-a-deep-thought-for-you-science-fiction-is-just-beginning-to/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Thought and science are therefore raising problems which their terms of study can never answer, many of which are doubtless problems only for thought.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/thought-and-science-are-therefore-raising-problems-which-their-terms/) [Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/) > [ \[An engineer's\] invention causes things to come into existence from ideas, makes world conform to thought; whereas science, by deriving ideas from observation, makes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-mitcham/an-engineer-s-invention-causes-things-to-come-into-existence-from/) [Carl Mitcham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-mitcham/) > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [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/) > [“What we've done is make the categories of science fiction and fantasy larger, freer, and more inclusive than any other genre of contemporary literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-we-ve-done-is-make-the-categories-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Science fiction and fantasy, though they seem to be about the future or fictional worlds, are always at their core really about the problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-joseph-adams/science-fiction-and-fantasy-though-they-seem-to-be-about-the-future/) [John Joseph Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-joseph-adams/) > [“The ultimate aim of reality is to become science fiction!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-of-kittim/the-ultimate-aim-of-reality-is-to-become-science-fiction/) [Eli Of Kittim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-of-kittim/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [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/) ## More by Robert Reed > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [In a novella, a whole lot of crap can happen, and you can build momentum and suspense and leave room for a surprise or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/in-a-novella-a-whole-lot-of-crap-can-happen-and-you-can-build/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [To improve as a player you need to not only know how you plan to win, but ... how might your opponent disrupt your plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/to-improve-as-a-player-you-need-to-not-only-know-how-you-plan-to-win/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I don't believe people let things slide away. It's the nature of the universe that everything dissolves into oblivion and by every route possible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-don-t-believe-people-let-things-slide-away-it-s-the-nature-of-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [A community that learns together excels together. We need to form communities that learn together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/a-community-that-learns-together-excels-together-we-need-to-form/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [A favorite science fiction writer of mine is William Faulkner! It was an idea that came to me once, years ago, and I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/a-favorite-science-fiction-writer-of-mine-is-william-faulkner-it-was/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I'm astonished how little fright I have of my own imagination. It really does baffle me that I don't get more scared because I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-m-astonished-how-little-fright-i-have-of-my-own-imagination-it/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [The burden of intelligence: you can always imagine all those wonderful places where you can never belong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/the-burden-of-intelligence-you-can-always-imagine-all-those-wonderful/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I can't point to a moment or incident that made me see that this business, this putting down words on paper, was what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-can-t-point-to-a-moment-or-incident-that-made-me-see-that-this/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [“With a whisper, Ash asked Shadow, “But why do you live this way?  With him, in this kind of role?” In an Aaback fashion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/with-a-whisper-ash-asked-shadow-but-why-do-you-live-this-way-with-him/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [This is a slow business to have success in. There are exceptions, but for the most part it's kind of like the last writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/this-is-a-slow-business-to-have-success-in-there-are-exceptions-but/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [“How many of us readers say this quote and mean it. "If I knew what I know now life would be different"…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/how-many-of-us-readers-say-this-quote-and-mean-it-if-i-knew-what-i/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [How could anyone survive even a single day, if he didn't feel as if he was, in some little great way, needed?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/how-could-anyone-survive-even-a-single-day-if-he-didn-t-feel-as-if-he/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [2001: A Space Odyssey was a wonderful conundrum when I was a boy, with its giant concepts thrown across the giant screen at Indian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/2001-a-space-odyssey-was-a-wonderful-conundrum-when-i-was-a-boy-with/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [For honest insight into who you are, don't ask yourself what your priorities are for next week. Ask what your priorities were last week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/for-honest-insight-into-who-you-are-don-t-ask-yourself-what-your/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) [Explore all 26 Robert Reed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) ## More 19th century quotes > [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [Nineteenth-century English literature I know; 19th-century sewage systems, not so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/nineteenth-century-english-literature-i-know-19th-century-sewage/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [“Washington was no politician as we understand the word," replied Ratcliffe abruptly. "He stood outside of politics. The thing couldn't be done today. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/washington-was-no-politician-as-we-understand-the-word-replied/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Then years back, when I moved to California, I happened to see a book about fashions of 19th-century Victorian England, only four pages of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/then-years-back-when-i-moved-to-california-i-happened-to-see-a-book/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. (at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [By tracing the careers of the four members of the Philosophical Breakfast Club, Laura Snyder has found a wonderful way not just to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-standage/by-tracing-the-careers-of-the-four-members-of-the-philosophical/) [Tom Standage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-standage/) > [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [ . . . Luddites were those frenzied traditionalists of the early 19th century who toured \[England\] wrecking new weaving machines on the theory that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/luddites-were-those-frenzied-traditionalists-of-the-early-19th/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“The Victorian era was an age of superlatives and larger-than-life characters, and as far as that goes, Dr. Wildman Whitehouse fit right in: what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-victorian-era-was-an-age-of-superlatives-and-larger-than-life/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [Take any writer you want in the 19th century: they wrote with quill pens, dipping a piece of goose feather in ink and writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/take-any-writer-you-want-in-the-19th-century-they-wrote-with-quill/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [There are real issues that the president Donald Trump and particularly Steve Bannon, his political adviser, are pushing. It's a vision, a rather dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franklin-jeffrey/there-are-real-issues-that-the-president-donald-trump-and/) [James Franklin Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franklin-jeffrey/) > [While every historical era has its unique appeal as a setting for tales of crime and detection, the 19th century is exceptional - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/while-every-historical-era-has-its-unique-appeal-as-a-setting-for/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [Adolescence was invented in the 19th century to enable middle-class families to keep their children out of sweatshops. But it has degenerated into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/adolescence-was-invented-in-the-19th-century-to-enable-middle-class/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [An ethic of maternalism was central to the utopianism of 19th century feminists. I don't think that today's women see motherhood as a source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-wright/an-ethic-of-maternalism-was-central-to-the-utopianism-of-19th-century/) [Clare Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-wright/) [Browse all 383 19th century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/19th-century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've always thought of science fiction as being, at some level, a 19th-century business.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Reed" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-as-being-at-some-level-a-19th/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "19th century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-as-being-at-some-level-a-19th/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/robert-reed-23290_19th-century_i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-a_1277194.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/robert-reed-23290_19th-century_i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-a_1277194.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/robert-reed-23290_19th-century_i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-a_1277194.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've always thought of science fiction as being, at some level, a 19th-century business.” — Robert Reed", "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": "Robert Reed", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've always thought of science fiction...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-as-being-at-some-level-a-19th/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-as-being-at-some-level-a-19th/#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 } } ] } ```