32 Quotes 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 come from those backgrounds, so does much of the fiction.

Through our entire history we have become accustomed to pushing [animals] around in ways dictated by our own wants and needs without much regard for theirs.

As for sticking strictly to presently known science, I will simply point out that we have already experienced at least two major revolutions in science in this century alone.

Of course, the way writers think about those things is almost certain to be affected by their own cultural background, and it would be hard to deny that, for whatever reasons, a lot of SF writers come from Anglo or European backgrounds.

Resist the temptation to try to use dazzling style to conceal weakness of substance.

Don't mistake a good setup for a satisfying conclusion - many beginning writers end their stories when the real story is just ready to begin.

Don’t mistake a good setup for a satisfying conclusion – many beginning writers end their stories when the real story is just ready to begin.

It’s most presumptuous to believe we already know all the answers and will never get any more big surprises.

It’s easy to imagine ways the future can be ugly and depressing. It’s harder, but more worthwhile, to imagine plausible ways we can make it better.