--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having a memoir and a retrospective of…" description: "\"Having a memoir and a retrospective of your work running almost simultaneously when you're still alive does feel a bit posthumous.\" — Anthony Browne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/anthony-browne-13017_alive_having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-y_2385912.png" --- # Having a memoir and a retrospective of your work running… ![“Having a memoir and a retrospective of your work running almost simultaneously when you're still alive does feel a bit posthumous.” quote by Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/anthony-browne-13017_alive_having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-y_2385912.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/anthony-browne-13017_alive_having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-y_2385912.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/anthony-browne-13017_alive_having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-y_2385912.png) > “Having a memoir and a retrospective of your work running almost simultaneously when you're still alive does feel a bit posthumous.” [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Simultaneously creating a memoir and a retrospective while alive feels like experiencing one's own legacy before death. **In simple terms:** Creating a memoir and retrospective while alive feels like posthumous. Key Takeaway Embrace your legacy now. Themes legacy reflection mortality creativity Mood contemplative nostalgic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - author interviews - gallery exhibitions - personal branding - archival projects Key Concepts self‑awareness temporal perception artistic identity Questions to Reflect On - How does documenting your work now affect future perception? - What balance between present creation and retrospective reflection feels authentic? A Different Perspective May the dual narrative dilute authenticity or cause emotional conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [Bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bit/) [Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having/) [Having Memoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-memoir-5715232/) [Memoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memoir/) [Memoir Retrospective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memoir-retrospective-2521999/) [Posthumous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posthumous/) [Retrospective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retrospective/) [Retrospective Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retrospective-work-577526/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Simultaneously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simultaneously/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [Novels are completed when they are finished, but the memoir changes its own conclusion by virtue of being written... I was not at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuala-o-faolain/novels-are-completed-when-they-are-finished-but-the-memoir-changes/) [Nuala O'Faolain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuala-o-faolain/) > [It's hard to think that say Shakespeare could have written "The Tempest" when he was young. It seems to be reflective work or retrospective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/it-s-hard-to-think-that-say-shakespeare-could-have-written-the/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [All the authors who've ultimately published Louder Than Words memoirs have been very happy to be chosen and excited about the possibility of having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-reber/all-the-authors-who-ve-ultimately-published-louder-than-words-memoirs/) [Deborah Reber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-reber/) > [In 2011, 'Yourself in the World,' a book of my writings and interviews, was published in conjunction with a retrospective of my work at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/in-2011-yourself-in-the-world-a-book-of-my-writings-and-interviews/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [“Walsh was too full of his own—how shall I put it?—posthumous importance; too convinced that he should be seen almost as much a victim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-w-buffa/walsh-was-too-full-of-his-own-how-shall-i-put-it-posthumous/) [D.W. Buffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-w-buffa/) > [“How long is this posthumous life of mine to last?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/how-long-is-this-posthumous-life-of-mine-to-last/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [And yet, after all, what is posthumous fame? Altogether vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/and-yet-after-all-what-is-posthumous-fame-altogether-vanity/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Proust has been dead since 1922, yet the annual appearance of his posthumous works has left him, to the reader, alive. Now there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-flanner/proust-has-been-dead-since-1922-yet-the-annual-appearance-of-his/) [Janet Flanner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-flanner/) > [“Dismemberment, even posthumous, is obscene.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kimberling/dismemberment-even-posthumous-is-obscene/) [Brian Kimberling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kimberling/) > [“If you try to write posthumously, however, fashion doesn’t apply. You step off the catwalk, ignoring this season’s trends and resigning yourself to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/if-you-try-to-write-posthumously-however-fashion-doesn-t-apply-you/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [You should die now if you was born so far within posthumous name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tivea/you-should-die-now-if-you-was-born-so-far-within-posthumous-name/) [Tivea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tivea/) > [Posthumous reputations have little to do with real lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/posthumous-reputations-have-little-to-do-with-real-lives/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [Posthumous charities are the very essence of selfishness when bequeathed by those who, even alive, would part with nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/posthumous-charities-are-the-very-essence-of-selfishness-when/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Reputation being essentially contemporaneous, is always at the mercy of the Envious and the Ignorant. But Fame, whose very birth is posthumous, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-brownell-jameson/reputation-being-essentially-contemporaneous-is-always-at-the-mercy/) [Anna Brownell Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-brownell-jameson/) > [“He pinched the remaining chapters’ pages delicately between his fingers and sighed. He always hated reaching the end of a good book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-e-zapanta/he-pinched-the-remaining-chapters-pages-delicately-between-his/) [David S.E. Zapanta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-e-zapanta/) ## More by Anthony Browne > [A lot of my characters are underdogs or sad or lonely, but I had a comfortable, golden sort of childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/a-lot-of-my-characters-are-underdogs-or-sad-or-lonely-but-i-had-a/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I use a little brush only for really small details. Over the years, I've started to use a much larger brush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-use-a-little-brush-only-for-really-small-details-over-the-years-i/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I had just been promoted to the first rugby team. It was a perfect, wonderful coming of age. My brother was already in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-had-just-been-promoted-to-the-first-rugby-team-it-was-a-perfect/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [The illustrations in picture books are the first paintings most children see, and because of that, they are incredibly important. What we see and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/the-illustrations-in-picture-books-are-the-first-paintings-most/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Inspiring passion in children for books, and the world of imagination and creativity fuelled by them, is a fundamental reason for why the Children's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/inspiring-passion-in-children-for-books-and-the-world-of-imagination/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I find it incredible and outrageous that public and school libraries are being forced to close - we'll all pay the price in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-find-it-incredible-and-outrageous-that-public-and-school-libraries/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [The first thing I put down on paper is a storyboard, like a film director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a-storyboard-like-a-film/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Gorillas remind me of my father. He was a very big, physically strong man but also very sensitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/gorillas-remind-me-of-my-father-he-was-a-very-big-physically-strong/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Most people lose their natural creativity at about five or six - but not me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/most-people-lose-their-natural-creativity-at-about-five-or-six-but/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I don't like narrowing my readers down - there's not a particular age or gender or nationality. I suppose I'm aiming at the child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-don-t-like-narrowing-my-readers-down-there-s-not-a-particular-age/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I grew up with an older brother who was always stronger and faster and better than me at everything, but I was close enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-grew-up-with-an-older-brother-who-was-always-stronger-and-faster/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I never want to make a child worried or afraid, and I don't think I do. My pictures are born from the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-never-want-to-make-a-child-worried-or-afraid-and-i-don-t-think-i-do/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Pictures are as evocative to me as smells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/pictures-are-as-evocative-to-me-as-smells/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Everyone can draw when they're five. Most of us lose the ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/everyone-can-draw-when-they-re-five-most-of-us-lose-the-ability/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I hope to encourage more children to discover and love reading, but I want to focus particularly on the appreciation of picture books…. Picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-hope-to-encourage-more-children-to-discover-and-love-reading-but-i/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) [Explore all 52 Anthony Browne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Having a memoir and a retrospective of your work running almost simultaneously when you're still alive does feel a bit posthumous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Browne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-your-work-running-almost/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-your-work-running-almost/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/anthony-browne-13017_alive_having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-y_2385912.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/anthony-browne-13017_alive_having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-y_2385912.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/anthony-browne-13017_alive_having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-y_2385912.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Having a memoir and a retrospective of your work running almost simultaneously when you're still alive does…” — Anthony Browne", "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": "Anthony Browne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Having a memoir and a retrospective...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-your-work-running-almost/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/having-a-memoir-and-a-retrospective-of-your-work-running-almost/#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 } } ] } ```