---
title: "4 Diary Quotes By Sarah Manguso"
description: "4 Diary quotes by Sarah Manguso. Plus more from Sarah Manguso and more Diary sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_i-wrote-about-myself-so-i-wouldn-t-becom_1946955.jpg"
---

> [“I wrote about myself so I wouldn't become paralyzed by rumination—so I could stop thinking about what had happened and be done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-wrote-about-myself-so-i-wouldn-t-become-paralyzed-by-rumination-so/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_i-wrote-about-myself-so-i-wouldn-t-becom_1946955.jpg)

> [“ The trouble was that I failed to record so much , I wrote, but how could I have believed that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-trouble-was-that-i-failed-to-record-so-much-i-wrote-but-how-could/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_the-trouble-was-that-i-failed-to-record_2071550.jpg)

> [“Today was very full, but the problem isn't today. It's tomorrow. I'd be able to recover from today if it weren't for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/today-was-very-full-but-the-problem-isn-t-today-it-s-tomorrow-i-d-be/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/259/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_today-was-very-full-but-the-problem-isn_2759498.jpg)

> [Experience in itself wasn’t enough. The diary was my defense against waking up at the end of my life and realizing I’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/experience-in-itself-wasn-t-enough-the-diary-was-my-defense-against/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/sarah-manguso-11172_defense_experience-in-itself-wasn-t-enough-the-d_3030451.jpg)

## Other authors on Diary

- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-virginia-woolf-93906.jpg) Virginia Woolf 12 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/virginia-woolf/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b004/author-anne-frank-13785.jpg) Anne Frank 12 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/anne-frank/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b019/author-oscar-wilde-72846.jpg) Oscar Wilde 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/oscar-wilde/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b010/author-awwthentic-36446.jpg) Awwthentic 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/awwthentic/)
- [Anais Nin 7 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/anais-nin/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b007/author-david-sedaris-27944.jpg) David Sedaris 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/david-sedaris/)

## More by Sarah Manguso

> [I like people who possess either deep mastery or deep empathy, but not as much as I like those who possess both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-like-people-who-possess-either-deep-mastery-or-deep-empathy-but-not/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [The best thing about time passing is the privilege of running out of it, of watching the wave of mortality break over me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-best-thing-about-time-passing-is-the-privilege-of-running-out-of/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“The trouble with comparing yourself to others is that there are too many others. Using all others as your control group, all your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-trouble-with-comparing-yourself-to-others-is-that-there-are-too/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“There will come a time when people decide you've had enough of your grief, and they'll try to take it away from you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/there-will-come-a-time-when-people-decide-you-ve-had-enough-of-your/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“It’s impossible to fail if one doesn’t know how the end should look. And it’s impossible to succeed. But it’s possible to enjoy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/it-s-impossible-to-fail-if-one-doesn-t-know-how-the-end-should-look/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“I tend to forget that my measurement of time is designed to distract me from what's really happening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-tend-to-forget-that-my-measurement-of-time-is-designed-to-distract/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [My existence shrank from an arrow of light pointing into the future forever to a speck of light that was the present moment. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/my-existence-shrank-from-an-arrow-of-light-pointing-into-the-future/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“Whatever you're feeling, billions already have. Feel for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/whatever-you-re-feeling-billions-already-have-feel-for-them/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“ My friend Isabel says, When you’re writing even a short novel, with at least a couple of subplots, and God only knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/my-friend-isabel-says-when-you-re-writing-even-a-short-novel-with-at/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [The only thing I've consistently been interested in in the last twenty-five years is writing very short texts. That continues to interest me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-only-thing-i-ve-consistently-been-interested-in-in-the-last/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“Like a vase, a heart breaks once. After that, it just yields to its flaws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/like-a-vase-a-heart-breaks-once-after-that-it-just-yields-to-its-flaws/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“Death will reveal what you otherwise would have finished. Also what you never would have finished. I found the notes for a book a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/death-will-reveal-what-you-otherwise-would-have-finished-also-what/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [Those who claim to write about something larger and more significant than the self sometimes fail to comprehend the dimensions of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/those-who-claim-to-write-about-something-larger-and-more-significant/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [Look at me, dancing my little dance for a few moments against the background of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/look-at-me-dancing-my-little-dance-for-a-few-moments-against-the/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [Chair or no chair: a binary relation. But the vicissitudes of moving the body around are infinite. You never know what a person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/chair-or-no-chair-a-binary-relation-but-the-vicissitudes-of-moving/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/sarah-manguso/#itemlist",
            "name": "4 Diary Quotes By Sarah Manguso",
            "numberOfItems": 4,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“I wrote about myself so I wouldn't become paralyzed by rumination—so I could stop thinking about what had happened and be done with it. More than that, I wrote so I could say I was truly paying attention. Experience in itself wasn't enough. The diary was my defense against waking up at the end of my life and realizing I'd missed it.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Sarah Manguso"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-wrote-about-myself-so-i-wouldn-t-become-paralyzed-by-rumination-so/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_i-wrote-about-myself-so-i-wouldn-t-becom_1946955.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_i-wrote-about-myself-so-i-wouldn-t-becom_1946955.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_i-wrote-about-myself-so-i-wouldn-t-becom_1946955.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I wrote about myself so I wouldn't become paralyzed by rumination—so I could stop thinking about what had…” — Sarah Manguso",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“ The trouble was that I failed to record so much , I wrote, but how could I have believed that if I tried hard enough, I could remember everything?”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Sarah Manguso"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-trouble-was-that-i-failed-to-record-so-much-i-wrote-but-how-could/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_the-trouble-was-that-i-failed-to-record_2071550.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_the-trouble-was-that-i-failed-to-record_2071550.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4d/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_the-trouble-was-that-i-failed-to-record_2071550.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The trouble was that I failed to record so much , I wrote, but how could I have believed that if I tried…” — Sarah Manguso",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Today was very full, but the problem isn't today. It's tomorrow. I'd be able to recover from today if it weren't for tomorrow. There should be extra days, buffer days, between real days.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Sarah Manguso"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/today-was-very-full-but-the-problem-isn-t-today-it-s-tomorrow-i-d-be/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/259/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_today-was-very-full-but-the-problem-isn_2759498.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/259/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_today-was-very-full-but-the-problem-isn_2759498.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/259/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_today-was-very-full-but-the-problem-isn_2759498.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Today was very full, but the problem isn't today. It's tomorrow. I'd be able to recover from today if it…” — Sarah Manguso",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Experience in itself wasn’t enough. The diary was my defense against waking up at the end of my life and realizing I’d missed it.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Sarah Manguso"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/experience-in-itself-wasn-t-enough-the-diary-was-my-defense-against/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/sarah-manguso-11172_defense_experience-in-itself-wasn-t-enough-the-d_3030451.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/sarah-manguso-11172_defense_experience-in-itself-wasn-t-enough-the-d_3030451.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/sarah-manguso-11172_defense_experience-in-itself-wasn-t-enough-the-d_3030451.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Experience in itself wasn’t enough. The diary was my defense against waking up at the end of my life and…” — Sarah Manguso",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/sarah-manguso/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/sarah-manguso/",
            "name": "Diary Quotes by Sarah Manguso",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/sarah-manguso/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/sarah-manguso-11172_diary_i-wrote-about-myself-so-i-wouldn-t-becom_1946955.jpg"
            },
            "description": "4 Diary quotes by Sarah Manguso. Plus more from Sarah Manguso and more Diary sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/sarah-manguso/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/sarah-manguso/#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": "Diary",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Sarah Manguso",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/sarah-manguso/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
