--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the rising and falling popularity…" description: "\"I think the rising and falling popularity of areas like hard SF and far-future SF is, to a considerable extent, the same as any other fashion.\" — Stanl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/stanley-schmidt-26994_areas_i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularit_1031766.jpg" --- # I think the rising and falling popularity of areas like… ![“I think the rising and falling popularity of areas like hard SF and far-future SF is, to a considerable extent, the same as any other fashion.” quote by Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/stanley-schmidt-26994_areas_i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularit_1031766.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/stanley-schmidt-26994_areas_i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularit_1031766.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/stanley-schmidt-26994_areas_i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularit_1031766.jpg) > “I think the rising and falling popularity of areas like hard SF and far-future SF is, to a considerable extent, the same as any other fashion.” [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trends in science‑fiction popularity rise and fall like fashion, driven by cultural cycles rather than intrinsic quality. **In simple terms:** SF popularity changes with trends, similar to fashion. Key Takeaway Recognize trends; adapt creatively. Themes literature culture trend cycles Mood analytical thoughtful Type commentary philosophical When to use this quote - publishing decisions - writing focus - reader expectations - marketing strategies Key Concepts genre popularity fashion cycles market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Are you following a trend or setting one? - How do trends affect your creative choices? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on trends may limit artistic integrity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Falling in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-in-love/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I've always loved far future SF, so it was more or less a given that I would one day want to write in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-ve-always-loved-far-future-sf-so-it-was-more-or-less-a-given-that-i/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“I will define science fiction, first, by saying what sf is not. It cannot be defined as "a story (or novel or play) set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-will-define-science-fiction-first-by-saying-what-sf-is-not-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“HARD SF and EPIC FANTASY – both of these forms have been conventionalised, proscribed and prescribed, such that they constitute valid GENRES in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/hard-sf-and-epic-fantasy-both-of-these-forms-have-been/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [I don't like a lot of what's published as hard SF. Much of it is right-wing, reactionary crap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-don-t-like-a-lot-of-what-s-published-as-hard-sf-much-of-it-is-right/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [Jeff Carver is a hard sf writer who gets it right-his science and his people are equally convincing. NEPTUNE CROSSING combines his strengths, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/jeff-carver-is-a-hard-sf-writer-who-gets-it-right-his-science-and-his/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [Peter Watts delivers-solid, inventive hard sf about the deep sea, but as we've never seen before. This moves like the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/peter-watts-delivers-solid-inventive-hard-sf-about-the-deep-sea-but/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [Science works as a way to make sense of life and the universe. Hard SF as my preferred fictional genre just feels natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/science-works-as-a-way-to-make-sense-of-life-and-the-universe-hard-sf/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [What kind of hard SF do I write? Everything from near-future, Earth-centric techno-thrillers to far-future, far-flung interstellar epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/what-kind-of-hard-sf-do-i-write-everything-from-near-future-earth/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [I had - and continued to have - great fun exploring the Revelation Space universe, but it was always clear to me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-exploring-the-revelation-space/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [As his former chief of staff, I can't imagine Boris Johnson felt very comfortable telling the British people to 'stay at home.' But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/as-his-former-chief-of-staff-i-can-t-imagine-boris-johnson-felt-very/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) > [He cast off his friends as a huntsman his pack, For he knew when he pleas'd he could whistle them back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/he-cast-off-his-friends-as-a-huntsman-his-pack-for-he-knew-when-he/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“One of the eternal verities of human life is that if you make the same choices as other people, they will think you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hammond/one-of-the-eternal-verities-of-human-life-is-that-if-you-make-the/) [George Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hammond/) > [Popularity isn't just something that happens. You have to give something in exchange for it, and that's the dangerous part of the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bringhurst/popularity-isn-t-just-something-that-happens-you-have-to-give/) [Robert Bringhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bringhurst/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) ## More by Stanley Schmidt > [And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/and-of-course-some-sf-is-set-close-enough-to-here-and-now-that-anglo/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [Ideally, I'd like every issue to include a diverse group of stories that meet the qualifications sketched above, but covering a wide range of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/ideally-i-d-like-every-issue-to-include-a-diverse-group-of-stories/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [As for sticking strictly to presently known science, I will simply point out that we have already experienced at least two major revolutions in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/as-for-sticking-strictly-to-presently-known-science-i-will-simply/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [This means I must pay close attention to the writing, but equally so to the scientific background - which sometimes means doing fairly involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/this-means-i-must-pay-close-attention-to-the-writing-but-equally-so/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [ Through our entire history we have become accustomed to pushing \[animals\] around in ways dictated by our own wants and needs without much regard… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/through-our-entire-history-we-have-become-accustomed-to-pushing/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [Of course, the way writers think about those things is almost certain to be affected by their own cultural background, and it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/of-course-the-way-writers-think-about-those-things-is-almost-certain/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [intricately and intriguingly woven, lots of fun, and extremely thought provoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/intricately-and-intriguingly-woven-lots-of-fun-and-extremely-thought/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [When something hasn't been around much for a while, and one example of it turns up and catches people's eyes, they go looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/when-something-hasn-t-been-around-much-for-a-while-and-one-example-of/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [Resist the temptation to try to use dazzling style to conceal weakness of substance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/resist-the-temptation-to-try-to-use-dazzling-style-to-conceal/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [I think the international appeal of SF is quite understandable since the kinds of people who like to read it, are, by the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/i-think-the-international-appeal-of-sf-is-quite-understandable-since/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [There are a significant number of people who appreciate what we do, and most of them gravitate to Analog because this is where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/there-are-a-significant-number-of-people-who-appreciate-what-we-do/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [Usually if nobody hates a piece, nobody loves it, either; and a magazine which sets itself the goal of provoking thought is not doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/usually-if-nobody-hates-a-piece-nobody-loves-it-either-and-a-magazine/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [Don't mistake a good setup for a satisfying conclusion - many beginning writers end their stories when the real story is just ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/don-t-mistake-a-good-setup-for-a-satisfying-conclusion-many-beginning/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [Blaming society makes it awfully easy for a person of weak character to shrug off his own responsibility for his actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/blaming-society-makes-it-awfully-easy-for-a-person-of-weak-character/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [There may be something to the suggestion about the pace of technological change intimidating writers, though - it's been awfully hard to keep ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/there-may-be-something-to-the-suggestion-about-the-pace-of/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) [Explore all 21 Stanley Schmidt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) ## More Areas quotes > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The earliest language was body language and, since this language is the language of questions, if we limit the questions, and if we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-earliest-language-was-body-language-and-since-this-language-is/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [It's absolutely fun to walk around and have people respect you. When Michael Jackson did Thriller, I was in the park one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/it-s-absolutely-fun-to-walk-around-and-have-people-respect-you-when/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/) [Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/) [John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/) > [Engaging the city around us and ministering to its needs reveal to us the remaining bastions of sin in our lives, the areas we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/engaging-the-city-around-us-and-ministering-to-its-needs-reveal-to-us/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [I believe it is a mistake to isolate arms control from other areas of policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-believe-it-is-a-mistake-to-isolate-arms-control-from-other-areas-of/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Well, the U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 is very clear. It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [When in one area of the world the standard of living and the size of the middle class increases, it is going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/when-in-one-area-of-the-world-the-standard-of-living-and-the-size-of/) [Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/) Browse all 2,612 Areas quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the rising and falling popularity of areas like hard SF and far-future SF is, to a considerable extent, the same as any other fashion.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stanley Schmidt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularity-of-areas-like-hard-sf-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Areas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularity-of-areas-like-hard-sf-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/stanley-schmidt-26994_areas_i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularit_1031766.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/stanley-schmidt-26994_areas_i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularit_1031766.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/stanley-schmidt-26994_areas_i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularit_1031766.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think the rising and falling popularity of areas like hard SF and far-future SF is, to a considerable…” — Stanley Schmidt", "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": "Stanley Schmidt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think the rising and falling...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularity-of-areas-like-hard-sf-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularity-of-areas-like-hard-sf-and/#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 } } ] } ```