--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing an autobiography, usually thought…" description: "\"Writing an autobiography, usually thought of as a looking back, can just as well be a looking across or through, with the passing of time giving an X-r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/janet-frame-8769_autobiography_writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought_3050879.jpg" --- # Writing an autobiography, usually thought of as a looking… ![“Writing an autobiography, usually thought of as a looking back, can just as well be a looking across or through, with the passing of time giving an X-ray quality to the eye.” quote by Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/janet-frame-8769_autobiography_writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought_3050879.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/janet-frame-8769_autobiography_writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought_3050879.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/janet-frame-8769_autobiography_writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought_3050879.jpg) > “Writing an autobiography, usually thought of as a looking back, can just as well be a looking across or through, with the passing of time giving an X-ray quality to the eye.” [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on autobiography as a way to view life from multiple perspectives, not just past, revealing deeper insight over time. **In simple terms:** Autobiography can show life across time, not just back. Key Takeaway Embrace multiple viewpoints in self‑reflection. Themes identity memory perspective time self‑exploration Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing memoirs - therapy - historical research - personal branding Key Concepts Narrative psychology temporal analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does viewing your life across time change your self‑understanding? - What insights emerge when you treat memory like an X‑ray? A Different Perspective May overlook present realities while focusing on past or future. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Autobiography Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography-usually-501457/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-back/) [Looking Passing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-passing-5073898/) [Passing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing/) [Passing Of Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing-of-time/) [Passings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passings/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Rays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rays/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-autobiography-1165948/) ## Related quotes > [“Even wondered about the difference? Autobiography: The usually self-serving accounts of personal accomplishments by a public figure. Memoir: The usually self-serving accounts of someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-ramos-y-sanchez/even-wondered-about-the-difference-autobiography-the-usually-self/) [Raul Ramos y Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-ramos-y-sanchez/) > [Autobiography is usually honest but it is never truthful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/autobiography-is-usually-honest-but-it-is-never-truthful/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [An autobiography usually reveals nothing bad about its writer except his memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-autobiography-usually-reveals-nothing-bad-about-its-writer-except/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Somebody talked me into writing an autobiography about six or seven years ago. And I said I'd try. We talked into a tape recorder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/somebody-talked-me-into-writing-an-autobiography-about-six-or-seven/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [I had many doubts while writing my autobiography. I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested to read about my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/i-had-many-doubts-while-writing-my-autobiography-i-wasn-t-sure-if/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) > [Thus, in a real sense, I am constantly writing autobiography, but I have to turn it into fiction in order to give it credibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/thus-in-a-real-sense-i-am-constantly-writing-autobiography-but-i-have/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela announced Tuesday he will begin writing his autobiography. He spent 25 years in prison before being elected to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/argus-hamilton/former-south-africa-president-nelson-mandela-announced-tuesday-he/) [Argus Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/argus-hamilton/) > [I was assigned to the Waffen-SS but was never involved in any crime. Besides, I always felt the need to write about my experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/i-was-assigned-to-the-waffen-ss-but-was-never-involved-in-any-crime/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [One of the most attractive things about writing your autobiography is that you're not dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-barbera/one-of-the-most-attractive-things-about-writing-your-autobiography-is/) [Joseph Barbera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-barbera/) > [All autobiography is storytelling; all writing is autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee-2/all-autobiography-is-storytelling-all-writing-is-autobiography/) [J. M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee-2/) > [My father always told me I should be a writer, and I found I loved writing my autobiography; writing is such an interesting process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-farrow/my-father-always-told-me-i-should-be-a-writer-and-i-found-i-loved/) [Mia Farrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-farrow/) > [The re-releases have more than doubled the amount of Led Zeppelin work out there. I wanted it done authoritatively, 'cause I was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-page/the-re-releases-have-more-than-doubled-the-amount-of-led-zeppelin/) [Jimmy Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-page/) > [“He strolled to the front door and stood watching, letting the picture of Felicity grave itself so deeply on his mind that when with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/he-strolled-to-the-front-door-and-stood-watching-letting-the-picture/) [Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/) > [The clouds are passing by slowly as the moon appears. Like the clouds, there are certain things which will disappear with the passing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jin-sun-mi/the-clouds-are-passing-by-slowly-as-the-moon-appears-like-the-clouds/) [Jin Sun Mi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jin-sun-mi/) > [“But I recently celebrated my thirtieth birthday and became acutely aware of my age, and the passing of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-kinghorn/but-i-recently-celebrated-my-thirtieth-birthday-and-became-acutely/) [Judith Kinghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-kinghorn/) ## More by Janet Frame > [Very often the law of extremity demands an attention to irrelevance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/very-often-the-law-of-extremity-demands-an-attention-to-irrelevance/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [I must go down to the seas again to find where I buried the hatchet with Yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-must-go-down-to-the-seas-again-to-find-where-i-buried-the-hatchet/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“So I went up north to a land of palm trees and mangroves like malignant growths in the mud-filled throats of the bays, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/so-i-went-up-north-to-a-land-of-palm-trees-and-mangroves-like/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“A certain pleasure was added to Grace’s relief at establishing herself as a migratory bird. She found that she understood the characters in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/a-certain-pleasure-was-added-to-grace-s-relief-at-establishing/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“I have to cry out here that language is all we have for the delicacy and truth of telling, that words are the sole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-have-to-cry-out-here-that-language-is-all-we-have-for-the-delicacy/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [The only certainty about writing and trying to be a writer is that it has to be done, not dreamed of or planned and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/the-only-certainty-about-writing-and-trying-to-be-a-writer-is-that-it/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“Life is hell, but there are prizes. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/life-is-hell-but-there-are-prizes/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [I don't want to inhabit the human world under false pretenses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-don-t-want-to-inhabit-the-human-world-under-false-pretenses/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [Listening to her, one experienced a deep uneasiness as of having avoided an urgent responsibility, like someone who, walking at night along the banks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/listening-to-her-one-experienced-a-deep-uneasiness-as-of-having/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [I don't wish to inhabit the human world under false pretences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-don-t-wish-to-inhabit-the-human-world-under-false-pretences/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [People dread silence because it is transparent; like clear water, which reveals every obstacle—the used, the dead, the drowned, silence reveals the cast-off words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/people-dread-silence-because-it-is-transparent-like-clear-water-which/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [So we went to bed, assaulted by sleep that fumed at us from medicine glasses, or was wielded from small sweet-coated tablets -- dainty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/so-we-went-to-bed-assaulted-by-sleep-that-fumed-at-us-from-medicine/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [She grew more and more silent about what really mattered. She curled inside herself like one of those black chimney brushes, the little shellfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/she-grew-more-and-more-silent-about-what-really-mattered-she-curled/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [Conversation is the wall we build between ourselves and other people, too often with tired words like used and broken bottles which, catching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/conversation-is-the-wall-we-build-between-ourselves-and-other-people/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [But it is imperative, for our own survival, that we avoiid one another, and what more successful means of avoidance are there than words?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/but-it-is-imperative-for-our-own-survival-that-we-avoiid-one-another/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) [Explore all 77 Janet Frame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) ## More Autobiography quotes > [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/) [Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/) > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“Someday, I want to write an unauthorized autobiography of myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcmullen-sullivan/someday-i-want-to-write-an-unauthorized-autobiography-of-myself/) [David McMullen-Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcmullen-sullivan/) > [“As well as writing, 2004 saw my first attempt at wine making: the elixir of life. Unfortunately, my effort tasted more like the elixir…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-briggs/as-well-as-writing-2004-saw-my-first-attempt-at-wine-making-the/) [Craig Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-briggs/) > [I caught a cold and didn't have time to work on my autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-doucet/i-caught-a-cold-and-didn-t-have-time-to-work-on-my-autobiography/) [Julie Doucet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-doucet/) > [Who ever heard, indeed, of an autobiography that was not (interesting)? I can recall none in all the literature of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-ever-heard-indeed-of-an-autobiography-that-was-not-interesting-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't really think of my essays as being about myself. I know it sounds insane, but I just don't think of them as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-don-t-really-think-of-my-essays-as-being-about-myself-i-know-it/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [The way I would live my life is: never do something in real life that I would not want to write about in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddharth-katragadda/the-way-i-would-live-my-life-is-never-do-something-in-real-life-that/) [Siddharth Katragadda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddharth-katragadda/) > [biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled with the life of the biographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autobiography-that-is-the-life/) [Linda Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-simon/) > [I think I'm like most novelists in that my books have gotten farther and farther away from autobiography the longer I've been writing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-i-m-like-most-novelists-in-that-my-books-have-gotten-farther/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [If you wish to understand me at all (and to write an autobiography is only to open a window into one's heart) you must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-melba/if-you-wish-to-understand-me-at-all-and-to-write-an-autobiography-is/) [Nellie Melba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-melba/) > [I want an autobiography without revealing any personal information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ross/i-want-an-autobiography-without-revealing-any-personal-information/) [Diana Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ross/) > [I don't like the word 'autobiography.' I rather like the term 'autofiction.' The second you make a script out of the story of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-rather-like-the-term/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [Because I write fiction, I don't write autobiography, and to me they are very different things. The first-person narrative is a very intimate thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/because-i-write-fiction-i-don-t-write-autobiography-and-to-me-they/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“I don't think anyone could write a completely honest autobiography. I am sure no one could bear to read it: My Past Was An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-don-t-think-anyone-could-write-a-completely-honest-autobiography-i/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 642 Autobiography quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing an autobiography, usually thought of as a looking back, can just as well be a looking across or through, with the passing of time giving an X-ray quality to the eye.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Janet Frame" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought-of-as-a-looking-back-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autobiography" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought-of-as-a-looking-back-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/janet-frame-8769_autobiography_writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought_3050879.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/janet-frame-8769_autobiography_writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought_3050879.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/janet-frame-8769_autobiography_writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought_3050879.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing an autobiography, usually thought of as a looking back, can just as well be a looking across or…” — Janet Frame", "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": "Janet Frame", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Writing an autobiography, usually thought of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought-of-as-a-looking-back-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/writing-an-autobiography-usually-thought-of-as-a-looking-back-can/#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 } } ] } ```