--- title: "5 Biographies Quotes By Claire Tomalin" description: "5 Biographies quotes by Claire Tomalin. Plus more from Claire Tomalin and more Biographies sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_i-sometimes-think-that-since-i-started-w_427370.jpg" --- > [I sometimes think that, since I started writing biographies, I've had more of a life in books than I have had in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-sometimes-think-that-since-i-started-writing-biographies-i-ve-had/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_i-sometimes-think-that-since-i-started-w_427370.jpg) > [Writing Charles Dickens' biography is like writing five biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/writing-charles-dickens-biography-is-like-writing-five-biographies/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_writing-charles-dickens-biography-is-lik_1326181.jpg) > [Biographies are, in their nature, far more difficult to make into films than novels, because novels come with plots constructed and dialogue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/biographies-are-in-their-nature-far-more-difficult-to-make-into-films/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/claire-tomalin-8837_because_biographies-are-in-their-nature-far-more_1774661.jpg) > [Biographers use historians more than historians use biographers, although there can be two-way traffic - e.g., the ever-growing production of biographies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/biographers-use-historians-more-than-historians-use-biographers/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/claire-tomalin-8837_although_biographers-use-historians-more-than-his_2511952.jpg) > [Why do we read biography? Why do we choose to write it? Because we are human beings, programmed to be curious about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/why-do-we-read-biography-why-do-we-choose-to-write-it-because-we-are/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/claire-tomalin-8837_about_why-do-we-read-biography-why-do-we-choos_2986369.jpg) ## Other authors on Biographies ## More by Claire Tomalin > [“Poor Nelly, she was not to know that fashions in sin change as much as other fashions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/poor-nelly-she-was-not-to-know-that-fashions-in-sin-change-as-much-as/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [I always feel sad when I come to the end of a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-always-feel-sad-when-i-come-to-the-end-of-a-book/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [I would like to have a more social life than I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-would-like-to-have-a-more-social-life-than-i-have/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [I continually get more information about a subject after the book has been published.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-continually-get-more-information-about-a-subject-after-the-book-has/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [I was working at the 'Evening Standard' when I heard that there was a job going as deputy literary editor on the 'New Statesman.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-was-working-at-the-evening-standard-when-i-heard-that-there-was-a/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [I've behaved badly in my life. I hope I haven't behaved as badly as Dickens! In a way, if you're a woman, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-ve-behaved-badly-in-my-life-i-hope-i-haven-t-behaved-as-badly-as/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [Simon Russell Beale is an incomparable speaker of Shakespeare and a superb all-round actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/simon-russell-beale-is-an-incomparable-speaker-of-shakespeare-and-a/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [I sometimes think that, since I started writing biographies, I've had more of a life in books than I have had in my real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-sometimes-think-that-since-i-started-writing-biographies-i-ve-had/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [Poetry was one of the things that interested me most as I was growing up. I used to write it in my head all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/poetry-was-one-of-the-things-that-interested-me-most-as-i-was-growing/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [Biographers search for traces, for evidence of activity, for signs of movement, for letters, for diaries, for photographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/biographers-search-for-traces-for-evidence-of-activity-for-signs-of/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [You become more tolerant when you become older. You're not interested in rapping people over the knuckles; you're interested in understanding them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/you-become-more-tolerant-when-you-become-older-you-re-not-interested/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [Dickens is a lover of human beings; a relisher of human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/dickens-is-a-lover-of-human-beings-a-relisher-of-human-beings/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [Dickens never joined a political party nor put forward a political programme. He was a writer who rightly saw his power as coming through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/dickens-never-joined-a-political-party-nor-put-forward-a-political/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [Throughout his life, Dickens cared passionately about orphans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/throughout-his-life-dickens-cared-passionately-about-orphans/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [It's a difficult thing to lose a child, a grown-up child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/it-s-a-difficult-thing-to-lose-a-child-a-grown-up-child/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/claire-tomalin/#itemlist", "name": "5 Biographies Quotes By Claire Tomalin", "numberOfItems": 5, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I sometimes think that, since I started writing biographies, I've had more of a life in books than I have had in my real life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Tomalin" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-sometimes-think-that-since-i-started-writing-biographies-i-ve-had/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_i-sometimes-think-that-since-i-started-w_427370.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_i-sometimes-think-that-since-i-started-w_427370.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_i-sometimes-think-that-since-i-started-w_427370.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I sometimes think that, since I started writing biographies, I've had more of a life in books than I have…” — Claire Tomalin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing Charles Dickens' biography is like writing five biographies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Tomalin" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/writing-charles-dickens-biography-is-like-writing-five-biographies/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_writing-charles-dickens-biography-is-lik_1326181.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_writing-charles-dickens-biography-is-lik_1326181.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_writing-charles-dickens-biography-is-lik_1326181.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing Charles Dickens' biography is like writing five biographies.” — Claire Tomalin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Biographies are, in their nature, far more difficult to make into films than novels, because novels come with plots constructed and dialogue written, whereas I don't invent dialogue for my subjects or plot their lives for them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Tomalin" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/biographies-are-in-their-nature-far-more-difficult-to-make-into-films/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/claire-tomalin-8837_because_biographies-are-in-their-nature-far-more_1774661.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/claire-tomalin-8837_because_biographies-are-in-their-nature-far-more_1774661.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/claire-tomalin-8837_because_biographies-are-in-their-nature-far-more_1774661.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Biographies are, in their nature, far more difficult to make into films than novels, because novels come…” — Claire Tomalin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Biographers use historians more than historians use biographers, although there can be two-way traffic - e.g., the ever-growing production of biographies of women is helping to change the general picture of the past presented by historians.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Tomalin" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/biographers-use-historians-more-than-historians-use-biographers/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/claire-tomalin-8837_although_biographers-use-historians-more-than-his_2511952.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/claire-tomalin-8837_although_biographers-use-historians-more-than-his_2511952.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/claire-tomalin-8837_although_biographers-use-historians-more-than-his_2511952.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Biographers use historians more than historians use biographers, although there can be two-way traffic…” — Claire Tomalin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why do we read biography? Why do we choose to write it? Because we are human beings, programmed to be curious about other human beings, and to experience something of their lives. This has always been so - look at the Bible, crammed with biographies, very popular reading.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Tomalin" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/why-do-we-read-biography-why-do-we-choose-to-write-it-because-we-are/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/claire-tomalin-8837_about_why-do-we-read-biography-why-do-we-choos_2986369.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/claire-tomalin-8837_about_why-do-we-read-biography-why-do-we-choos_2986369.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/claire-tomalin-8837_about_why-do-we-read-biography-why-do-we-choos_2986369.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why do we read biography? Why do we choose to write it? Because we are human beings, programmed to be…” — Claire Tomalin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/claire-tomalin/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/claire-tomalin/", "name": "Biographies Quotes by Claire Tomalin", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/claire-tomalin/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/claire-tomalin-8837_biographies_i-sometimes-think-that-since-i-started-w_427370.jpg" }, "description": "5 Biographies quotes by Claire Tomalin. Plus more from Claire Tomalin and more Biographies sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/claire-tomalin/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/claire-tomalin/#breadcrumb", "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": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Biographies", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Claire Tomalin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/claire-tomalin/" } ] }, { "@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 } } ] } ```