--- title: "10 Writing Autobiographical Quotes by 9 authors" description: "Browse 10 Writing Autobiographical quotes by 9 authors. Discover the best Writing Autobiographical sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/terry-mcmillan-7261_willing_few-writers-are-willing-to-admit-writing_1706418.jpg" --- > [Few writers are willing to admit writing is autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/few-writers-are-willing-to-admit-writing-is-autobiographical/) [Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/terry-mcmillan-7261_willing_few-writers-are-willing-to-admit-writing_1706418.jpg) > [Because of the wonderfully positive response to 'Life's That Way,' I am considering writing some more autobiographical stuff - maybe another book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-response-to-life-s-that-way-i-am/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-beaver-19155_am_because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-resp_134200.png) > [I don't write non-fiction because I get bored. Some of my writing is autobiographical, but not the way readers imagine. I use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-don-t-write-non-fiction-because-i-get-bored-some-of-my-writing-is/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/sefi-atta-22130_books_i-don-t-write-non-fiction-because-i-get_1092154.jpg) > [When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had a fear of anything autobiographical, but I've come to realise that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had-a-fear-of-anything/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg) > [First of all, all writing includes some part of the self. The relationship of the self and the other exists in writing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/first-of-all-all-writing-includes-some-part-of-the-self-the/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f01/nawal-el-saadawi-4167_firsts_first-of-all-all-writing-includes-some-p_3214421.jpg) > [Readers are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but not in the way they think. The writer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/readers-are-fools-they-believe-all-writing-is-autobiographical-and-so/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/diane-setterfield-1008_believe_readers-are-fools-they-believe-all-writi_723988.png) > [In fact, writing, especially writing autobiographical works, and this is actually the fourth time I've done it, each time I've done it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/in-fact-writing-especially-writing-autobiographical-works-and-this-is/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-auster-351_done_in-fact-writing-especially-writing-autob_2899719.jpg) > [There's a certain point, when you're writing autobiographical stuff, where you don't want to misrepresent yourself. It would be dishonest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/there-s-a-certain-point-when-you-re-writing-autobiographical-stuff/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/mark-strand-9847_autobiographical_there-s-a-certain-point-when-you-re-writ_243528.png) > [As a gay writer and someone who began by writing autobiographical fiction, it's hard to get away from chatter of "You're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-martin/as-a-gay-writer-and-someone-who-began-by-writing-autobiographical/) [Douglas A. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-a-martin/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/douglas-a-martin-46139_autobiographical_as-a-gay-writer-and-someone-who-began-by_2755404.jpg) > [“Readers," continued Miss Winter, "are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but not in the way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/readers-continued-miss-winter-are-fools-they-believe-all-writing-is/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/636/diane-setterfield-1008_bits-and-pieces_readers-continued-miss-winter-are-fools_2157570.png) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-autobiographical/#itemlist", "name": "Writing Autobiographical Quotes", "numberOfItems": 10, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Few writers are willing to admit writing is autobiographical.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry McMillan" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/few-writers-are-willing-to-admit-writing-is-autobiographical/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/terry-mcmillan-7261_willing_few-writers-are-willing-to-admit-writing_1706418.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/terry-mcmillan-7261_willing_few-writers-are-willing-to-admit-writing_1706418.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/terry-mcmillan-7261_willing_few-writers-are-willing-to-admit-writing_1706418.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Few writers are willing to admit writing is autobiographical.” — Terry McMillan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because of the wonderfully positive response to 'Life's That Way,' I am considering writing some more autobiographical stuff - maybe another book. I don't know. It doesn't help that I'm lazy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jim Beaver" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-response-to-life-s-that-way-i-am/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-beaver-19155_am_because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-resp_134200.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-beaver-19155_am_because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-resp_134200.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/jim-beaver-19155_am_because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-resp_134200.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because of the wonderfully positive response to 'Life's That Way,' I am considering writing some more…” — Jim Beaver", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't write non-fiction because I get bored. Some of my writing is autobiographical, but not the way readers imagine. I use my memory of settings, events and people. I weave history into my stories, but my narratives are made up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sefi Atta" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-don-t-write-non-fiction-because-i-get-bored-some-of-my-writing-is/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/sefi-atta-22130_books_i-don-t-write-non-fiction-because-i-get_1092154.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/sefi-atta-22130_books_i-don-t-write-non-fiction-because-i-get_1092154.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/sefi-atta-22130_books_i-don-t-write-non-fiction-because-i-get_1092154.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't write non-fiction because I get bored. Some of my writing is autobiographical, but not the way…” — Sefi Atta", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had a fear of anything autobiographical, but I've come to realise that my writing is very autobiographical at the emotional level.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Marcus" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had-a-fear-of-anything/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had a fear of anything autobiographical, but I've come to realise that…” — Ben Marcus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "First of all, all writing includes some part of the self. The relationship of the self and the other exists in writing, whether autobiographical or novel. There is a self and an other.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nawal El Saadawi" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/first-of-all-all-writing-includes-some-part-of-the-self-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f01/nawal-el-saadawi-4167_firsts_first-of-all-all-writing-includes-some-p_3214421.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f01/nawal-el-saadawi-4167_firsts_first-of-all-all-writing-includes-some-p_3214421.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f01/nawal-el-saadawi-4167_firsts_first-of-all-all-writing-includes-some-p_3214421.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“First of all, all writing includes some part of the self. The relationship of the self and the other exists…” — Nawal El Saadawi", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Readers are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but not in the way they think. The writer's life needs time to rot away before it can be used to nourish a work of fiction. it must be allowed to decay.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diane Setterfield" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/readers-are-fools-they-believe-all-writing-is-autobiographical-and-so/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/diane-setterfield-1008_believe_readers-are-fools-they-believe-all-writi_723988.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/diane-setterfield-1008_believe_readers-are-fools-they-believe-all-writi_723988.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f87/diane-setterfield-1008_believe_readers-are-fools-they-believe-all-writi_723988.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Readers are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but not in the way they…” — Diane Setterfield", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In fact, writing, especially writing autobiographical works, and this is actually the fourth time I've done it, each time I've done it I've felt deeply immersed in the material as I'm doing it, and then it's over and everything is the same.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Auster" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/in-fact-writing-especially-writing-autobiographical-works-and-this-is/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-auster-351_done_in-fact-writing-especially-writing-autob_2899719.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-auster-351_done_in-fact-writing-especially-writing-autob_2899719.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-auster-351_done_in-fact-writing-especially-writing-autob_2899719.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In fact, writing, especially writing autobiographical works, and this is actually the fourth time I've done…” — Paul Auster", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a certain point, when you're writing autobiographical stuff, where you don't want to misrepresent yourself. It would be dishonest.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Strand" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/there-s-a-certain-point-when-you-re-writing-autobiographical-stuff/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/mark-strand-9847_autobiographical_there-s-a-certain-point-when-you-re-writ_243528.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/mark-strand-9847_autobiographical_there-s-a-certain-point-when-you-re-writ_243528.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/917/mark-strand-9847_autobiographical_there-s-a-certain-point-when-you-re-writ_243528.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's a certain point, when you're writing autobiographical stuff, where you don't want to misrepresent…” — Mark Strand", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a gay writer and someone who began by writing autobiographical fiction, it's hard to get away from chatter of \"You're just a narcissist,\" \"You're just a gay man,\" \"You're just looking for yourself in somebody else,\" \"Why does your boyfriend look like you,\" a kind of baggage that you already have to create in the face of.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas A. Martin" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-martin/as-a-gay-writer-and-someone-who-began-by-writing-autobiographical/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/douglas-a-martin-46139_autobiographical_as-a-gay-writer-and-someone-who-began-by_2755404.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/douglas-a-martin-46139_autobiographical_as-a-gay-writer-and-someone-who-began-by_2755404.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/douglas-a-martin-46139_autobiographical_as-a-gay-writer-and-someone-who-began-by_2755404.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a gay writer and someone who began by writing autobiographical fiction, it's hard to get away from…” — Douglas A. Martin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Readers,\" continued Miss Winter, \"are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but not in the way they think. The writer's life needs time to rot away before it can be used to nourish a work of fiction. It must be allowed to decay. That's why I couldn't have journalists and biographers rummaging around in my past, retrieving bits and pieces of it, preserving it in their words. To write my books, I needed my past left in peace, for time to do its work.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diane Setterfield" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/readers-continued-miss-winter-are-fools-they-believe-all-writing-is/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/636/diane-setterfield-1008_bits-and-pieces_readers-continued-miss-winter-are-fools_2157570.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/636/diane-setterfield-1008_bits-and-pieces_readers-continued-miss-winter-are-fools_2157570.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/636/diane-setterfield-1008_bits-and-pieces_readers-continued-miss-winter-are-fools_2157570.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Readers,\" continued Miss Winter, \"are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but…” — Diane Setterfield", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-autobiographical/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-autobiographical/", "name": "Writing Autobiographical Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-autobiographical/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/terry-mcmillan-7261_willing_few-writers-are-willing-to-admit-writing_1706418.jpg" }, "description": "Browse 10 Writing Autobiographical quotes by 9 authors. 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