--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good science fiction story is a story…" description: "\"A good science fiction story is a story with a human problem, and a human solution, which would not have happened at all without its science content.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/theodore-sturgeon-4560_fiction_a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story_887134.jpg" --- # A good science fiction story is a story with a human… ![“A good science fiction story is a story with a human problem, and a human solution, which would not have happened at all without its science content.” quote by Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/theodore-sturgeon-4560_fiction_a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story_887134.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/theodore-sturgeon-4560_fiction_a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story_887134.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/theodore-sturgeon-4560_fiction_a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story_887134.jpg) > “A good science fiction story is a story with a human problem, and a human solution, which would not have happened at all without its science content.” [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great sci‑fi ties speculative tech to human challenges, making the story relatable and meaningful. **In simple terms:** Science fiction needs human stakes. Key Takeaway Ground speculative ideas in human experience. Themes science fiction humanism storytelling technology Mood inspirational thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - classroom discussions - media analysis Key Concepts narrative theory ethics future studies Questions to Reflect On - How does science enhance human stories? - What human issue could be explored with new tech? A Different Perspective Purely technical plots can feel cold. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-stories/) [Fiction Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-story-1109691/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Human Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-problem-919739/) [Human problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-problems/) [Human Solution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-solution-1109693/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-human-1109692/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [A science fiction story is a story with a human problem, and a human solution, that would not have happened at all without its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/a-science-fiction-story-is-a-story-with-a-human-problem-and-a-human/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [“A science fiction story is a story built around human beings, with a human problem and a human solution, which would not have happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/a-science-fiction-story-is-a-story-built-around-human-beings-with-a/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [It does sound like a science fiction story and I may sound like one of these guys who walks up and down with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lembit-pik/it-does-sound-like-a-science-fiction-story-and-i-may-sound-like-one/) [Lembit Opik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lembit-pik/) > [ \[A\] science fiction story is one which presupposes a technology, or an effect of technology, or a disturbance in the natural order, such as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-crispin/a-science-fiction-story-is-one-which-presupposes-a-technology-or-an/) [Edmund Crispin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-crispin/) > [A good scenario doesn't make a good science fiction story - but it's a setting within which a good science fiction story might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/a-good-scenario-doesn-t-make-a-good-science-fiction-story-but-it-s-a/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [While I'm a big fan of science fiction, especially as rendered in expensive Hollywood blockbusters, it's the real universe that calls to me. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/while-i-m-a-big-fan-of-science-fiction-especially-as-rendered-in/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [A science fiction story is just an attempt to solve a problem that exists in the world, sometimes a moral problem, sometimes a physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/a-science-fiction-story-is-just-an-attempt-to-solve-a-problem-that/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [There's nothing I love more than a great truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-feuerzeig/there-s-nothing-i-love-more-than-a-great-truth-is-stranger-than/) [Jeff Feuerzeig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-feuerzeig/) > [The great human problem of evil stems from the illusion of separateness. Whenever this illusion is overcome, we behave lovingly to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-marx-hubbard/the-great-human-problem-of-evil-stems-from-the-illusion-of/) [Barbara Marx Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-marx-hubbard/) > [Americans are coming to their senses, and the libertarian theory of society and government is pointing the way. The times change, but the enduring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/llewellyn-rockwell/americans-are-coming-to-their-senses-and-the-libertarian-theory-of/) [Llewellyn Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/llewellyn-rockwell/) > [Thus, if a composer wants to produce music that is relevant to his contemporaries, his chief problem is not really musical, though it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-blacking/thus-if-a-composer-wants-to-produce-music-that-is-relevant-to-his/) [John Blacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-blacking/) > [Racism is a human problem and a crime that is absolutely so ghastly that a person who is fighting racism is well within his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/racism-is-a-human-problem-and-a-crime-that-is-absolutely-so-ghastly/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Whenever you hear anyone talking about a cultural or even about a human problem, you should never forget to inquire who the speaker really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-you-hear-anyone-talking-about-a-cultural-or-even-about-a/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The heart of the human problem, is the problem of the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-j-smith/the-heart-of-the-human-problem-is-the-problem-of-the-human-heart/) [Oswald J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-j-smith/) > [That good is the enemy of great is not just a business problem. It is a human problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/that-good-is-the-enemy-of-great-is-not-just-a-business-problem-it-is/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) ## More by Theodore Sturgeon > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [For years, I thought I simply didn't dream. I felt left out. Everybody else had a thing I didn't have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/for-years-i-thought-i-simply-didn-t-dream-i-felt-left-out-everybody/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I learned how to live on five and sometimes ten dollars a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/i-learned-how-to-live-on-five-and-sometimes-ten-dollars-a-week/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [“She was perhaps seventeen when it happened. She was in Central Park, in New York. It was too warm for such an early spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/she-was-perhaps-seventeen-when-it-happened-she-was-in-central-park-in/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [“Anger was foreign to him; he had only felt it once before. But now it came, a wash of it that made him swell,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/anger-was-foreign-to-him-he-had-only-felt-it-once-before-but-now-it/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Fear is a survival instinct; fear in its way is a comfort for it means that somewhere hope is alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/fear-is-a-survival-instinct-fear-in-its-way-is-a-comfort-for-it-means/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I repeat Sturgeon's Revelation, which was wrung out of me after twenty years of wearying defense of science fiction against attacks of people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/i-repeat-sturgeon-s-revelation-which-was-wrung-out-of-me-after-twenty/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Once I had all the facts in, I found I didn't have the immoral courage to pull the caper. So I wrote it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/once-i-had-all-the-facts-in-i-found-i-didn-t-have-the-immoral-courage/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [It should consist of short, sharply focused sentences, each of which is a whole scene in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/it-should-consist-of-short-sharply-focused-sentences-each-of-which-is/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Logic and truth are two very different things, but they often look the same to the mind that's performing the logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/logic-and-truth-are-two-very-different-things-but-they-often-look-the/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Science fiction, outside of poetry, is the only literary field which has no limits, no parameters whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/science-fiction-outside-of-poetry-is-the-only-literary-field-which/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Create a world in which these things do or do not exist, or in which they are extended in some way. Test reality against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/create-a-world-in-which-these-things-do-or-do-not-exist-or-in-which/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [“Living things aren't finished, you see. Everything they have ever been in contact with, each thought they have had, each person they have known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/living-things-aren-t-finished-you-see-everything-they-have-ever-been/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Fiction is very important to me. It's what I do, it's what I do with my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/fiction-is-very-important-to-me-it-s-what-i-do-it-s-what-i-do-with-my/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [The first writing I did was short short stories for a newspaper syndicate for which I was paid five dollars a piece on publication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/the-first-writing-i-did-was-short-short-stories-for-a-newspaper/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) [Explore all 102 Theodore Sturgeon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) ## 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": "A good science fiction story is a story with a human problem, and a human solution, which would not have happened at all without its science content.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Theodore Sturgeon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story-with-a-human-problem-and-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story-with-a-human-problem-and-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/theodore-sturgeon-4560_fiction_a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story_887134.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/theodore-sturgeon-4560_fiction_a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story_887134.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/theodore-sturgeon-4560_fiction_a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story_887134.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A good science fiction story is a story with a human problem, and a human solution, which would not have…” — Theodore Sturgeon", "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": "Theodore Sturgeon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A good science fiction story is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story-with-a-human-problem-and-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/a-good-science-fiction-story-is-a-story-with-a-human-problem-and-a/#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 } } ] } ```