Theodore Sturgeon Quotes

A collection of quotes by Theodore Sturgeon.

Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author born on February 26, 1918, in Staten Island, New York. With a career spanning over four decades, he became one of the most influential writers in the genre during the mid-20th century. Sturgeon initially worked in various odd jobs, but his passion for writing led him to pen numerous science fiction stories that garnered critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base.

Sturgeon's literary style was marked by his emphasis on character development and exploring complex emotional journeys within his stories. He was known for his ability to create vivid and believable characters who faced moral dilemmas and grappled with the human condition. Some of his notable works include "More Than Human," "The Dreaming Jewels," and "A Saucer of Loneliness," among others.

Throughout his career, Sturgeon received numerous accolades and honors for his contributions to the genre, including the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. He was also recognized as a mentor and inspiration to a new generation of science fiction authors.

Theodore Sturgeon passed away on May 8, 1985, leaving a substantial legacy in the field of science fiction and a lasting impact on readers and writers alike. His works continue to be celebrated and enjoyed for their thought-provoking ideas, compelling characters, and exploration of the human experience.

I have lived most of my life with the conviction that I don'

I have lived most of my life with the conviction that I don't dream, because I never could retrieve a dream.

Theodore Sturgeon


Logic and truth are two very different things, but they ofte

Logic and truth are two very different things, but they often look the same to the mind that's performing the logic.

Theodore Sturgeon

Truth Mind

A science fiction story is a story built around human beings

A science fiction story is a story built around human beings, with a human problem and a human solution, which would not have happened at all without its scientific content.

Theodore Sturgeon

Science Science Fiction Content Sci Fi

My wife is beginning to instruct me on means to retrieve dre

My wife is beginning to instruct me on means to retrieve dreams, and bit by bit, it does seem to be working.

Theodore Sturgeon

Dreams

Writing is a communication.

Writing is a communication.

Theodore Sturgeon

Communication

Once I had all the facts in, I found I didn't have the immor

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 a story. As a teenager, I didn't have any skills for writing as such, so it came out in 1500 words.

Theodore Sturgeon

Courage

Science fiction, outside of poetry, is the only literary fie

Science fiction, outside of poetry, is the only literary field which has no limits, no parameters whatsoever.

Theodore Sturgeon

Poetry

Some major writers have a huge impact, like Ayn Rand, who to

Some major writers have a huge impact, like Ayn Rand, who to my mind is a lousy fiction writer because her writing has no compassion and virtually no humor. She has a philosophical and economical message that she is passing off as fiction, but it really isn't fiction at all.

Theodore Sturgeon

Humor

You have to study your field and you have to find out how ot

You have to study your field and you have to find out how other people do it, and you have to keep working and learning and practicing and ultimately, you would be able to do it.

Theodore Sturgeon

Learning

Ninety percent of everything is crap.

Ninety percent of everything is crap.

Theodore Sturgeon

Quality

As far as hypnosis is concerned, I had a very serious proble

As far as hypnosis is concerned, I had a very serious problem when I was in my twenties. I encountered a man who later became the president of the American Society of Medical Hypnosis. He couldn't hypnotize me.

Theodore Sturgeon

Medical

I wrote the very first stories in science fiction which deal

I wrote the very first stories in science fiction which dealt with homosexuality, The World Well Lost and Affair With a Green Monkey.

Theodore Sturgeon

Science

In science fiction, you can also test out your own realities

In science fiction, you can also test out your own realities.

Theodore Sturgeon

Science