--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I discovered in writing the biography of…" description: "\"I discovered in writing the biography of Bill Clinton that it is actually easier to write a biography of someone who is dead. Although you can't interv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/david-maraniss-22930_bills_i-discovered-in-writing-the-biography-of_3200841.jpg" --- # I discovered in writing the biography of Bill Clinton that… ![“I discovered in writing the biography of Bill Clinton that it is actually easier to write a biography of someone who is dead. Although you can't interview them, you have a fuller perspective on their whole life after they're gone and people are more willing to talk about them.” quote by David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/david-maraniss-22930_bills_i-discovered-in-writing-the-biography-of_3200841.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/david-maraniss-22930_bills_i-discovered-in-writing-the-biography-of_3200841.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/david-maraniss-22930_bills_i-discovered-in-writing-the-biography-of_3200841.jpg) > “I discovered in writing the biography of Bill Clinton that it is actually easier to write a biography of someone who is dead. Although you can't interview them, you have a fuller perspective on their whole life after they're gone and people are more willing to talk about them.” [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing about the dead offers a complete view and easier access to sources, unlike living subjects who may restrict information. **In simple terms:** Biographies of the dead are easier to write. Key Takeaway Leverage historical distance for thorough research. Themes history biography research ethics Mood analytical thoughtful Type historical journalistic When to use this quote - academic research - documentary filmmaking - family histories Key Concepts Posthumous perspective source accessibility Questions to Reflect On - What ethical concerns arise when writing about the deceased? - How does distance affect narrative honesty? A Different Perspective Living subjects can provide fresh insights unavailable after death. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bills/) [Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) [Biography Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biography-clinton-5942621/) [Biography Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biography-dead-5942620/) [Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinton/) [Dead Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-interview-2904322/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Whole life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-life/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) [Write Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-biography-1692112/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-biography-820785/) ## Related quotes > [I like my subjects to be American, and not too dead, so I can interview people who knew them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-scott-berg/i-like-my-subjects-to-be-american-and-not-too-dead-so-i-can-interview/) [A. Scott Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-scott-berg/) > [It's a feature of our age that if you write a work of fiction, everyone assumes that the people and events in it are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-a-feature-of-our-age-that-if-you-write-a-work-of-fiction/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I began wondering, can one really write a biography of an illness? But I found myself thinking of cancer as this character that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/i-began-wondering-can-one-really-write-a-biography-of-an-illness-but/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [Others are writing my biography, and let it rest as they elect to make it. I have lived my life, well and ill, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-barton/others-are-writing-my-biography-and-let-it-rest-as-they-elect-to-make/) [Clara Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-barton/) > [Qualities absolutely necessary for a historian: (1) Imagination. (2) Prejudice. (3) The power of writing your own biography at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-coleridge/qualities-absolutely-necessary-for-a-historian-1-imagination-2/) [Mary Elizabeth Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-coleridge/) > [I'm writing my biography. It's my business. This is what happened in my life, and I'm writing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/i-m-writing-my-biography-it-s-my-business-this-is-what-happened-in-my/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) > [ \[On writing biography:\] ... every human life is at once so complex and so simple, so perplexing and so clear, so superficial and so… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/on-writing-biography-every-human-life-is-at-once-so-complex-and-so/) [Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/) > [Writing a biography is not a love affair. It’s not a marriage. It’s a job, it’s a piece of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/writing-a-biography-is-not-a-love-affair-it-s-not-a-marriage-it-s-a/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) > [Live your life as if you are writing your Biography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keshia-chante/live-your-life-as-if-you-are-writing-your-biography/) [Keshia Chante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keshia-chante/) > [If after I die, people want to write my biography, there is nothing simpler. They only need two dates: the date of my birth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/if-after-i-die-people-want-to-write-my-biography-there-is-nothing/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [I was interested in the ways we can write biography. When you're first starting to write about your own life it feels so shapeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-gerard/i-was-interested-in-the-ways-we-can-write-biography-when-you-re-first/) [Sarah Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-gerard/) > [I'd like to write a biography of Ivan the Terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/i-d-like-to-write-a-biography-of-ivan-the-terrible/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [I think I want to write a biography, something with broad appeal, but I haven't figured out about whom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rhodes/i-think-i-want-to-write-a-biography-something-with-broad-appeal-but-i/) [Richard Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rhodes/) > [When I'm dead, somebody can write my biography. I wrote a national hymn, an anthem, which I don't want to present to that country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-moroder/when-i-m-dead-somebody-can-write-my-biography-i-wrote-a-national-hymn/) [Giorgio Moroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-moroder/) > [I have no desire to write my own biography, as long as I have strength and means to do better work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-babbage/i-have-no-desire-to-write-my-own-biography-as-long-as-i-have-strength/) [Charles Babbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-babbage/) ## More by David Maraniss > [It's hard to know exactly how people develop the characters they do. There could be people from humble beginnings that turn into jerks. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/it-s-hard-to-know-exactly-how-people-develop-the-characters-they-do/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [And then the industry itself was so cocky about what they were doing that they weren't seeing what was coming on the horizon with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/and-then-the-industry-itself-was-so-cocky-about-what-they-were-doing/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [You also had in Detroit that summer, an early variation of Ferguson. A black prostitute was shot in the back by police. And all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/you-also-had-in-detroit-that-summer-an-early-variation-of-ferguson-a/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [Originally, John Kennedy was going to come speak, and then Lyndon Johnson. Because it was October of '62, neither made it because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/originally-john-kennedy-was-going-to-come-speak-and-then-lyndon/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [So, I mean, there's still vast swaths of the city that are suffering from a lack of jobs and poor housing and poor public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/so-i-mean-there-s-still-vast-swaths-of-the-city-that-are-suffering/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [I want my books to last, to stand the test of time, and to do that I focus on the forces that shape the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/i-want-my-books-to-last-to-stand-the-test-of-time-and-to-do-that-i/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [It was a time of uncommon possibility and freedom, when Detroit created wondrous and lasting things. But life can be luminescent when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/it-was-a-time-of-uncommon-possibility-and-freedom-when-detroit/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [And that John F. Kennedy uttered the first variation of "ask not what your country can do for you" in Detroit on Labor Day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/and-that-john-f-kennedy-uttered-the-first-variation-of-ask-not-what/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [Well, there is something beautiful about ruins. I mean, in one sense it's not that different from going to Rome and looking at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/well-there-is-something-beautiful-about-ruins-i-mean-in-one-sense-it/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [It was so crucial to the Civil Rights Movement that on June 23, 1963, Martin Luther King came to town, walked down Woodward Avenue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/it-was-so-crucial-to-the-civil-rights-movement-that-on-june-23-1963/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [I want to write for history, not for the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/i-want-to-write-for-history-not-for-the-moment/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [Well, there were several things. One was that the industry itself built in Detroit was abandoning the city - taking factories elsewhere, the corporate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/well-there-were-several-things-one-was-that-the-industry-itself-built/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [It is?classic Bill Clinton, sincere and deceptive at the same time, requiring a careful reading between the lines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/it-is-classic-bill-clinton-sincere-and-deceptive-at-the-same-time/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [My favorites are Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, but those are a little off in terms of getting Detroit right on the head. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/my-favorites-are-stevie-wonder-and-marvin-gaye-but-those-are-a-little/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [“Go about your work with a quiet confidence that cannot be shake...No matter what happens, remember if you have faith as a grain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/go-about-your-work-with-a-quiet-confidence-that-cannot-be-shake-no/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) [Explore all 26 David Maraniss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) ## More Bills quotes > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/some-of-the-folks-on-both-sides-might-be-sincere-but-it-does-seem-as/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [ \[Sport officials\] blocked their support of us. But those individuals \[ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar \] were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of-us-but-those-individuals/) [John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/) > [Simple fairness dictates that government must not raise taxes on families struggling to pay their bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/simple-fairness-dictates-that-government-must-not-raise-taxes-on/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [This is not really currency that circulates. It's like the old joke about expensive vintage wine. Wine prices will go up and once in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/this-is-not-really-currency-that-circulates-it-s-like-the-old-joke/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [If Bill Gates left Microsoft we wouldn't allow Donald Trump to run it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-i-am/if-bill-gates-left-microsoft-we-wouldn-t-allow-donald-trump-to-run-it/) [will.i.am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-i-am/) > [Your goal should be to pay off your credit card bills in full at the end of each month and set aside money toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/your-goal-should-be-to-pay-off-your-credit-card-bills-in-full-at-the/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [He's fat and a clown, Bill, a fat clown for all to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamon-dunphy/he-s-fat-and-a-clown-bill-a-fat-clown-for-all-to-see/) [Eamon Dunphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eamon-dunphy/) > [There's nothing nice about Steve Jobs and there's nothing evil about Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-peddle/there-s-nothing-nice-about-steve-jobs-and-there-s-nothing-evil-about/) [Chuck Peddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-peddle/) > [At first I thought, if I were Superman, a perfect secret identity would be "Clark Kent, Dentist," because you could save money on tooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/at-first-i-thought-if-i-were-superman-a-perfect-secret-identity-would/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Whether it's people walking off 'The View' when Bill O'Reilly makes a statement about radical Islam or Juan Williams being fired for expressing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantor/whether-it-s-people-walking-off-the-view-when-bill-o-reilly-makes-a/) [Eric Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantor/) > [The one thing the police cannot protect us from is a politician like Bill de Blasio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/the-one-thing-the-police-cannot-protect-us-from-is-a-politician-like/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [Bill Hicks - blowtorch, excavator, truthsayer, and brain specialist. He will correct your vision. Others will drive on the road he built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/bill-hicks-blowtorch-excavator-truthsayer-and-brain-specialist-he/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) [Browse all 2,663 Bills quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bills/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I discovered in writing the biography of Bill Clinton that it is actually easier to write a biography of someone who is dead. 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