--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me writing biographies is impossible…" description: "\"For me writing biographies is impossible, unless they are brief and concise, and these are, I feel, the most eloquent.\" — Alfred Nobel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/alfred-nobel-17134_biographies_for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible_2961977.png" --- # For me writing biographies is impossible, unless they are… ![“For me writing biographies is impossible, unless they are brief and concise, and these are, I feel, the most eloquent.” quote by Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/alfred-nobel-17134_biographies_for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible_2961977.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/alfred-nobel-17134_biographies_for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible_2961977.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/alfred-nobel-17134_biographies_for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible_2961977.png) > “For me writing biographies is impossible, unless they are brief and concise, and these are, I feel, the most eloquent.” [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Biographies should be concise; brevity yields eloquence. **In simple terms:** Short biographies are best. Key Takeaway Write succinct, clear bios. Themes writing brevity clarity Mood practical direct Type advice instructional When to use this quote - resume - author bios Key Concepts biographical style concise communication Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what to omit? - When is brevity insufficient? A Different Perspective Complex lives may need detail. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) [Biographies Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies-impossible-4516242/) [Concise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concise/) [Concise Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concise-feel-4516244/) [Eloquent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eloquent/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Eloquent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-eloquent-4516243/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-biographies-830545/) ## Related quotes > [I started out as a writer of fiction, but nobody wanted to publish my work as a young man. So I decided to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kaplan/i-started-out-as-a-writer-of-fiction-but-nobody-wanted-to-publish-my/) [Fred Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kaplan/) > [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/) > [If you know anything about writing biographies, or what is regarded as a good biography, you have minimum input from the person you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-colin-campbell/if-you-know-anything-about-writing-biographies-or-what-is-regarded-as/) [Lady Colin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-colin-campbell/) > [I first wrote a biography of Thomas Carlyle, and it turned out I loved writing biographies and had a talent for it. I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kaplan/i-first-wrote-a-biography-of-thomas-carlyle-and-it-turned-out-i-loved/) [Fred Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kaplan/) > [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/) > [A drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/a-drawing-should-have-no-unnecessary-lines-and-a-machine-no/) [William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) > [Cinema is incredibly concise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/cinema-is-incredibly-concise/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [In the wake of her indispensable textbook, Janet Burroway now offers a splendid and concise guide to the thorny task of revision. Writers, young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-livesey/in-the-wake-of-her-indispensable-textbook-janet-burroway-now-offers-a/) [Margot Livesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-livesey/) > [The rythms of typing favour short, concise sentences, sentences with oral form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-rythms-of-typing-favour-short-concise-sentences-sentences-with/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [I like films that are well-written and concise and with not a lot of room for improvisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-like-films-that-are-well-written-and-concise-and-with-not-a-lot-of/) [Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/) > [I'm trying to tell the story in the most clear, concise, and truthful way, taking those everyday words and phrases and capturing them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/i-m-trying-to-tell-the-story-in-the-most-clear-concise-and-truthful/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/vigorous-writing-is-concise-a-sentence-should-contain-no-unnecessary/) [William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) > [Traditional folk music is about survival of the fittest song just like evolution is about survival of the fittest organism and generally the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-spiers/traditional-folk-music-is-about-survival-of-the-fittest-song-just/) [John Spiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-spiers/) > [This is an extraordinary illustrated collection of Chinese herbsaccompanied by concise and expert comments. Jing-Nuan Wu has succeeded incompiling this most unique and informative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-nakanishi/this-is-an-extraordinary-illustrated-collection-of-chinese/) [Koji Nakanishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-nakanishi/) > [“It's not my accent, but my brevity makes me stylish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/it-s-not-my-accent-but-my-brevity-makes-me-stylish/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) ## More by Alfred Nobel > [Justice is to be found only in the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/justice-is-to-be-found-only-in-the-imagination/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [To his sister-in-law: What a contrast between us! You live a warm and glowing life, surrounded by loved ones whom you care for and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/to-his-sister-in-law-what-a-contrast-between-us-you-live-a-warm-and/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [Lawyers have to make a living, and can only do so by inducing people to believe that a straight line is crooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/lawyers-have-to-make-a-living-and-can-only-do-so-by-inducing-people/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [Worry is the stomach's worst poison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/worry-is-the-stomach-s-worst-poison/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [Hope is nature's veil for hiding truth's nakedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/hope-is-nature-s-veil-for-hiding-truth-s-nakedness/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [The first time I saw nitroglycerine was in the beginning of the Crimean War. Professor Zinin in St. Petersburg exhibited some to my father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/the-first-time-i-saw-nitroglycerine-was-in-the-beginning-of-the/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [I am not aware that I have deserved any notoriey, and I have no taste for its buzz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/i-am-not-aware-that-i-have-deserved-any-notoriey-and-i-have-no-taste/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [One can state, without exaggeration, that the observation of and the search for similarities and differences are the basis of all human knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/one-can-state-without-exaggeration-that-the-observation-of-and-the/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [The truthful man is usually a liar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/the-truthful-man-is-usually-a-liar/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [I am a misanthrope yet utterly benevolent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/i-am-a-misanthrope-yet-utterly-benevolent/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [“The day when two army corps can annihilate each other in one second, all civilized nations, it is to be hoped, will recoil from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/the-day-when-two-army-corps-can-annihilate-each-other-in-one-second/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [A recluse without books and ink is already in life a dead man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/a-recluse-without-books-and-ink-is-already-in-life-a-dead-man/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [For my part, I wish all guns with their belongings and everything could be sent to hell, which is the proper place for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/for-my-part-i-wish-all-guns-with-their-belongings-and-everything/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [ It is my express wish that in awarding the \[Nobel Prizes\] no consideration be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/it-is-my-express-wish-that-in-awarding-the-nobel-prizes-no/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) > [Alfred Nobel - pitiable half-creature, should have been stifled by humane doctor when he made his entry yelling into life. Greatest merits: Keeps his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/alfred-nobel-pitiable-half-creature-should-have-been-stifled-by/) [Alfred Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) [Explore all 38 Alfred Nobel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/) ## More Biographies quotes > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/) [Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/) > [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [All Philosophy is Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/all-philosophy-is-biography/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/life-is-a-biography-not-a-series-of-disconnected-moments-more-or-less/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/) [Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/) > [The richly cadenced prose is hypnotic, the research prodigious, the analysis acute, the mood spellbinding, and the cast of characters mythic in scale. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-richly-cadenced-prose-is-hypnotic-the-research-prodigious-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I don't want to say that most rock bands live these formulaic biography existences - but they kinda do. There's always a divorce. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-don-t-want-to-say-that-most-rock-bands-live-these-formulaic/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [It can be a long gap between the emergence of fully researched historical biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-fraser/it-can-be-a-long-gap-between-the-emergence-of-fully-researched/) [Antonia Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-fraser/) > [Always live your life with your biography in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/always-live-your-life-with-your-biography-in-mind/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) [Browse all 587 Biographies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me writing biographies is impossible, unless they are brief and concise, and these are, I feel, the most eloquent.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alfred Nobel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible-unless-they-are-brief-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biographies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible-unless-they-are-brief-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/alfred-nobel-17134_biographies_for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible_2961977.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/alfred-nobel-17134_biographies_for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible_2961977.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/alfred-nobel-17134_biographies_for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible_2961977.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For me writing biographies is impossible, unless they are brief and concise, and these are, I feel, the most…” — Alfred Nobel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Alfred Nobel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nobel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For me writing biographies is impossible,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible-unless-they-are-brief-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nobel/for-me-writing-biographies-is-impossible-unless-they-are-brief-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```