Who really said it
Clarke’s Third Law is genuine; its publication history predates the often-cited 1973 revision.
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
For presentations
Unconfirmed quote & credit
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” — Arthur C. Clarke, Third Law; documented in Report on Planet Three (1972)
Can you use it?
Still under copyright (rights held by Arthur C. Clarke and/or the publisher or estate). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.
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In context
Evoking the world of Arthur C. Clarke — English writer. Theme: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Provenance
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Read the attribution evidenceHow we verified this
The identified twentieth-century work remains in copyright; only a short excerpt is used for identification and criticism.
Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.
Context
Clarke’s Third Law concerns the gap between an observer’s understanding and the capabilities of unfamiliar technology. The publication trail includes a 1972 collection before the often-cited 1973 revised book; it is an imaginative rule of perspective, rather than a physical law proving supernatural claims.
Explore
More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
Go further
Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.
QI transcribes the law in Report on Planet Three (1972) and identifies the speech as 1967.
The foundation’s biography and quotations reproduce the exact Third Law.
Wikiquote cites the Third Law to the 1973 revised Profiles of the Future.
Background on Clarke and his nonfiction works.
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The author
For writers & researchers
Report on Planet Three and Other Speculations, Technology and the Future (1972).
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/any-sufficiently-advanced-technology-is-indistinguishable/