--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a fan of hard science fiction, which…" description: "\"I'm a fan of hard science fiction, which is science fiction that is possible.\" — Sal Khan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/sal-khan-6851_hard_i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which_1637342.jpg" --- # I'm a fan of hard science fiction, which is science… ![“I'm a fan of hard science fiction, which is science fiction that is possible.” quote by Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/sal-khan-6851_hard_i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which_1637342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/sal-khan-6851_hard_i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which_1637342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/sal-khan-6851_hard_i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which_1637342.jpg) > “I'm a fan of hard science fiction, which is science fiction that is possible.” [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hard science fiction imagines futures grounded in plausible science, distinguishing it from fantasy. **In simple terms:** Science‑based sci‑fi focuses on realistic possibilities. Key Takeaway Explore plausible futures. Themes science fiction hard science imagination Mood curious inspired Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - education - entertainment - inspiration Key Concepts physics technology future studies Questions to Reflect On - What scientific principles excite you most? - How can realistic sci‑fi inspire innovation? A Different Perspective Hard sci‑fi may limit creative freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-possible-536590/) [Fiction Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-science-536589/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-science-536591/) [Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [There is no such thing as science fiction, there is only science eventuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/there-is-no-such-thing-as-science-fiction-there-is-only-science/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [India, the new myth--a collective fiction in which anything was possible, a fable rivalled only by the two other mighty fantasies: money and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/india-the-new-myth-a-collective-fiction-in-which-anything-was/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I can enjoy 'Harry Potter' and 'Star Trek,' but I really appreciate hard science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/i-can-enjoy-harry-potter-and-star-trek-but-i-really-appreciate-hard/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [It had also been my belief since I started writing fiction that science fiction is never really about the future. When science fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/it-had-also-been-my-belief-since-i-started-writing-fiction-that/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [It's kind of a misnomer about science fiction that science fiction is about anything other than people. It's about people doing stuff, sometimes doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-bear/it-s-kind-of-a-misnomer-about-science-fiction-that-science-fiction-is/) [Greg Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-bear/) > [Questions are fiction, and answers are anything from more fiction to science-fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-steinberg/questions-are-fiction-and-answers-are-anything-from-more-fiction-to/) [Saul Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-steinberg/) > [Women tend to be more intuitive, or to admit to being intuitive, and maybe the hard science approach isn't so attractive. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/women-tend-to-be-more-intuitive-or-to-admit-to-being-intuitive-and/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“I'll bite: Hard science TA's and RA's often repair equipment; it's part of our science. If you want a silver spoon, don't go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lindahl/i-ll-bite-hard-science-ta-s-and-ra-s-often-repair-equipment-it-s-part/) [Greg Lindahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lindahl/) > [“Science was meant to be hard. After all, what was science but a bunch of bored human beings trying to challenge themselves when faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/science-was-meant-to-be-hard-after-all-what-was-science-but-a-bunch/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you don't care about science enough to be interested in it on its own, you shouldn't try to write hard science fiction. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederik-pohl/if-you-don-t-care-about-science-enough-to-be-interested-in-it-on-its/) [Frederik Pohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederik-pohl/) > [“By claiming that they can contribute to software engineering, the soft scientists make themselves even more ridiculous. (Not less dangerous, alas!) In spite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-w-dijkstra/by-claiming-that-they-can-contribute-to-software-engineering-the-soft/) [Edsger W. Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-w-dijkstra/) > ['Farscape' is not what you call hard science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-browder/farscape-is-not-what-you-call-hard-science-fiction/) [Ben Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-browder/) > [“It's cloaked in cultural mumbo jumbo, but I assure you that it is very hard science.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-maberry/it-s-cloaked-in-cultural-mumbo-jumbo-but-i-assure-you-that-it-is-very/) [Jonathan Maberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-maberry/) > [I'm an amateur astronomer, and I practice that hobby a lot. And I'm fascinated by hard science. Hard science is something for me that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-russ/i-m-an-amateur-astronomer-and-i-practice-that-hobby-a-lot-and-i-m/) [Tim Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-russ/) > [Hope is easy; knowledge is hard. Science is the one domain in which we human beings make a truly heroic effort to counter our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/hope-is-easy-knowledge-is-hard-science-is-the-one-domain-in-which-we/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More by Sal Khan > [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [I think history shows us that there is not one credible credential that has come from the for-profit reality, and that is because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-think-history-shows-us-that-there-is-not-one-credible-credential/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [I love Victorian novels, the way they capture the nuances of the human condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-love-victorian-novels-the-way-they-capture-the-nuances-of-the-human/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [As my kids grow up, I think a lot about the lessons and values I want to impart to them. More than any particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/as-my-kids-grow-up-i-think-a-lot-about-the-lessons-and-values-i-want/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [One's perception of themselves has a much bigger role than has been acknowledged to determine who succeeds and who does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/one-s-perception-of-themselves-has-a-much-bigger-role-than-has-been/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [The math you need for most of finance is ninth-grade algebra, and most people feel reasonably comfortable with that. But I think the financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/the-math-you-need-for-most-of-finance-is-ninth-grade-algebra-and-most/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [Formal education must change. It needs to be brought into closer alignment with the world as it actually is, into closer harmony with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/formal-education-must-change-it-needs-to-be-brought-into-closer/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [Our mission at Khan Academy is a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere, and college readiness is a crucial part of that. We want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/our-mission-at-khan-academy-is-a-free-world-class-education-for/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [You have all this education theory, and people try to make larger statements than maybe what their data would back up, because they've done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/you-have-all-this-education-theory-and-people-try-to-make-larger/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [Creating a clear and engaging video explanation of a complex concept is a great way to demonstrate mastery and to help others understand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/creating-a-clear-and-engaging-video-explanation-of-a-complex-concept/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [I do believe that education should become as close to free as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-do-believe-that-education-should-become-as-close-to-free-as-possible/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [Great people are attracted to great people and great visions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/great-people-are-attracted-to-great-people-and-great-visions/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [I'd like to see a reality where, if someone wants to work when they turn 18 to help support their family, and they learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-d-like-to-see-a-reality-where-if-someone-wants-to-work-when-they/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [If you're going to charge someone for something, you have to show them value for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/if-you-re-going-to-charge-someone-for-something-you-have-to-show-them/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [The ancient universities was not as based on how many credit hours you're taking and whether you've completed your credit hours. The ancient universities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/the-ancient-universities-was-not-as-based-on-how-many-credit-hours/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) [Explore all 97 Sal Khan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "I'm a fan of hard science fiction, which is science fiction that is possible.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sal Khan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which-is-science-fiction-that-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which-is-science-fiction-that-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/sal-khan-6851_hard_i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which_1637342.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/sal-khan-6851_hard_i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which_1637342.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/sal-khan-6851_hard_i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which_1637342.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm a fan of hard science fiction, which is science fiction that is possible.” — Sal Khan", "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": "Sal Khan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm a fan of hard science...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which-is-science-fiction-that-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/i-m-a-fan-of-hard-science-fiction-which-is-science-fiction-that-is/#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 } } ] } ```