--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm writing this memoir from the…" description: "\"I'm writing this memoir from the perspective of somebody who's prosperous and has means. Having said that, one of the things that I think I discovered ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/anna-quindlen-467_end-of-life_i-m-writing-this-memoir-from-the-perspec_3209315.png" --- # I'm writing this memoir from the perspective of somebody… ![“I'm writing this memoir from the perspective of somebody who's prosperous and has means. Having said that, one of the things that I think I discovered about those additional years is that I don't think they really are added to the end of life.” quote by Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/anna-quindlen-467_end-of-life_i-m-writing-this-memoir-from-the-perspec_3209315.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/anna-quindlen-467_end-of-life_i-m-writing-this-memoir-from-the-perspec_3209315.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/anna-quindlen-467_end-of-life_i-m-writing-this-memoir-from-the-perspec_3209315.png) > “I'm writing this memoir from the perspective of somebody who's prosperous and has means. Having said that, one of the things that I think I discovered about those additional years is that I don't think they really are added to the end of life.” [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Later life may feel like an extension rather than a new chapter, suggesting that aging adds depth rather than extra years. **In simple terms:** Aging adds depth, not time. Key Takeaway Value experiences over counting years. Themes aging reflection meaning life purpose Mood contemplative hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - retirement planning - legacy projects - personal growth - health decisions Key Concepts psychology existentialism time perception Questions to Reflect On - What does “extra time” mean to you? - How can you make later years feel purposeful? A Different Perspective Not all feel find added years fulfilling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Memoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memoir/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Prosperous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperous/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If I get the forty additional years statisticians say are likely coming to me, I could fit in at least one, maybe two new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/if-i-get-the-forty-additional-years-statisticians-say-are-likely/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [If I put my mind to it, and I put the work in, I have no doubt I could do it (pitch 4-5 additional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-clemens/if-i-put-my-mind-to-it-and-i-put-the-work-in-i-have-no-doubt-i-could/) [Roger Clemens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-clemens/) > [If you've been courting someone for a long time, what's the point in being engaged an additional 2 or 3 years?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-ve-been-courting-someone-for-a-long-time-what-s-the-point-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Having a purpose and knowing exactly what your values are will add additional years to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/having-a-purpose-and-knowing-exactly-what-your-values-are-will-add/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [I had a very high-grade publisher tell me I was incapable of writing a memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-a-very-high-grade-publisher-tell-me-i-was-incapable-of-writing/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [One of the most challenging aspects of writing a memoir is finding your own voice, and you should be very careful about being influenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/one-of-the-most-challenging-aspects-of-writing-a-memoir-is-finding/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [When I was writing the memoir, every page was a battle with myself because I knew I had to tell the truth. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/when-i-was-writing-the-memoir-every-page-was-a-battle-with-myself/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [The act of writing means you wish to communicate. Whether you're writing a memoir for yourself you put in a drawer, or you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/the-act-of-writing-means-you-wish-to-communicate-whether-you-re/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [You write fiction, you're writing memoir, and when you're writing memoir, you're writing fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/you-write-fiction-you-re-writing-memoir-and-when-you-re-writing/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I you're writing memoir, but it even comes up in fiction. People just assume that you're writing thinly veiled autobiography. And particularly, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-adiele/i-you-re-writing-memoir-but-it-even-comes-up-in-fiction-people-just/) [Faith Adiele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-adiele/) > [ Writing a memoir isn't particularly interesting to me. I'm not like Ellen \[DeGeneres\], where I can write, 'Water bottles--they're crazy!' and it's funny. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/writing-a-memoir-isn-t-particularly-interesting-to-me-i-m-not-like/) [Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/) > [When I first got sick, they told me I had a year to live, and I was writing my memoir really fast. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lurie/when-i-first-got-sick-they-told-me-i-had-a-year-to-live-and-i-was/) [John Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lurie/) > [Writing your memoir is inherently narcissistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-jane-grace/writing-your-memoir-is-inherently-narcissistic/) [Laura Jane Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-jane-grace/) > [Usually, with a novel, you start with no idea what to do because your job is to create convincing characters and then they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/usually-with-a-novel-you-start-with-no-idea-what-to-do-because-your/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [ I'd say, \[writing memoir\] not so much a model, but maybe to provide an insight, here or there, to help somebody come to terms… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-d-say-writing-memoir-not-so-much-a-model-but-maybe-to-provide-an/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More by Anna Quindlen > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Loss as muse. Loss as character. Loss as life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/loss-as-muse-loss-as-character-loss-as-life/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [knowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God ever gives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/knowledge-of-our-own-mortality-is-the-greatest-gift-god-ever-gives-us/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [You teach your 16-year-old with your heart in your mouth to be a good driver and none of that makes any difference when some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/you-teach-your-16-year-old-with-your-heart-in-your-mouth-to-be-a-good/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Every reader, I suspect, has a book like this somewhere in his or her past, a book that seemed to hold within it, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/every-reader-i-suspect-has-a-book-like-this-somewhere-in-his-or-her/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-ve-finally-recognized-my-body-for-what-it-is-a-personality-delivery/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [A man who builds his own pedestal had better use strong cement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/a-man-who-builds-his-own-pedestal-had-better-use-strong-cement/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“Yet there was always in me, even when I was very small, the sense that I ought to be somewhere else. And wander I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/yet-there-was-always-in-me-even-when-i-was-very-small-the-sense-that/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I can't think of a single downside to motherhood now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-can-t-think-of-a-single-downside-to-motherhood-now/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It would take a helluva man to replace no man at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-would-take-a-helluva-man-to-replace-no-man-at-all/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Not writing at all leads to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/not-writing-at-all-leads-to-nothing/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion. "Book love," Trollope called it. "It will make your hours pleasant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/reading-has-always-been-my-home-my-sustenance-my-great-invincible/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Explore all 538 Anna Quindlen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## More End of life quotes > [“What matters is at the end of life, when you're about to pass into oblivion, that you've at least scratched 'Kilroy was here,' on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-matters-is-at-the-end-of-life-when-you-re-about-to-pass-into/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [You're already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/you-re-already-naked-there-is-no-reason-not-to-follow-your-heart/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“What I really fear is time. That's the devil: whipping us on when we'd rather loll, so the present sprints by, impossible to grasp,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/what-i-really-fear-is-time-that-s-the-devil-whipping-us-on-when-we-d/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [It will not bother me in the hour of death to reflect that I have been "had for a sucker" by any number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/it-will-not-bother-me-in-the-hour-of-death-to-reflect-that-i-have/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The end of life is to be like unto God; and the soul following God, will be like unto Him; He being the beginning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-end-of-life-is-to-be-like-unto-god-and-the-soul-following-god/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Through a grandmother's voice and hands the end of life is known at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/through-a-grandmother-s-voice-and-hands-the-end-of-life-is-known-at/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Are all ends of life so sad?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-of-romania/are-all-ends-of-life-so-sad/) [Marie of Romania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-of-romania/) > [Someday your life will be over, no matter how much attention you give to your health. Will you look back with regret, because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/someday-your-life-will-be-over-no-matter-how-much-attention-you-give/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“When I reflect on the stories of death supported by hospice care and contrast it with our story depicting an absence of support, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-j-shultz/when-i-reflect-on-the-stories-of-death-supported-by-hospice-care-and/) [Lisa J. Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-j-shultz/) > [Be driven by excellence.To be driven by excellence so at the end of each day,each month,each year,and indeed at the end of life itself,we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-huseman/be-driven-by-excellence-to-be-driven-by-excellence-so-at-the-end-of/) Richard Huseman > [Having the choice at the end of my life has become incredibly important. It has given me a sense of peace during a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-maynard/having-the-choice-at-the-end-of-my-life-has-become-incredibly/) [Brittany Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-maynard/) > [And what is true education? It is awakening a love for truth; giving a just sense of duty; opening the eyes of the soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/and-what-is-true-education-it-is-awakening-a-love-for-truth-giving-a/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [Death is not the end of life, but a birth of the better life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rmkatta/death-is-not-the-end-of-life-but-a-birth-of-the-better-life/) RMKATTA > [“What is the use of beauty in woman? Provided a woman is physically well made and capable of bearing children, she will always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/what-is-the-use-of-beauty-in-woman-provided-a-woman-is-physically/) [Théophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [Sometimes we have just to let go of someone who matters to us not because we want to but because we have to, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-we-have-just-to-let-go-of-someone-who-matters-to-us-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 251 End of life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm writing this memoir from the perspective of somebody who's prosperous and has means. 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