--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have been commissioned to write an…" description: "\"I have been commissioned to write an autobiography and I would be grateful to any of your readers who could tell me what I was doing between 1960 and 1..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/jeffrey-bernard-23628_autobiography_i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-aut_2621484.jpg" --- # I have been commissioned to write an autobiography and I… ![“I have been commissioned to write an autobiography and I would be grateful to any of your readers who could tell me what I was doing between 1960 and 1974.” quote by Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/jeffrey-bernard-23628_autobiography_i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-aut_2621484.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/jeffrey-bernard-23628_autobiography_i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-aut_2621484.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/jeffrey-bernard-23628_autobiography_i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-aut_2621484.jpg) > “I have been commissioned to write an autobiography and I would be grateful to any of your readers who could tell me what I was doing between 1960 and 1974.” [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He asks readers to fill gaps in his life story between 1960‑1974 **In simple terms:** He wants help recalling his activities during that period Key Takeaway Seek others' memories to complete his autobiography Themes curiosity memory collaboration Mood reflective inquisitive Type personal historical When to use this quote - writing memoirs - research - interviewing friends - archival digging Key Concepts autobiography historical reconstruction Questions to Reflect On - What key events might you recall? - How reliable are others' memories? A Different Perspective Reliance on others may introduce inaccuracies ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Autobiography Grateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography-grateful-2114329/) [Be grateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-grateful/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Commissioned Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commissioned-write-834728/) [Doing 1960](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-1960-2114330/) [Grateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful/) [Write Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-autobiography/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Bantam Press. And they commissioned me to write it. And when that was completed, they sold it to Harper and Row. And then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/bantam-press-and-they-commissioned-me-to-write-it-and-when-that-was/) [William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/) > [My kind publishers, Toby Mundy and Margaret Stead of Atlantic Books, have commissioned me to write the life of Queen Victoria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/my-kind-publishers-toby-mundy-and-margaret-stead-of-atlantic-books/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [One puts off the biography like you put off death. To write an autobiography is to etch the words on your own gravestone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/one-puts-off-the-biography-like-you-put-off-death-to-write-an/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [When I write my autobiography after 20-25 years, I want 2014 to be the weakest year of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-nadiadwala/when-i-write-my-autobiography-after-20-25-years-i-want-2014-to-be-the/) [Sajid Nadiadwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-nadiadwala/) > [When you write an autobiography, it has to be authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/when-you-write-an-autobiography-it-has-to-be-authentic/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [I never thought I would write an autobiography, probably because my first novel, Go Now, is really all drawn from my life, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hell/i-never-thought-i-would-write-an-autobiography-probably-because-my/) [Richard Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hell/) > [You write an autobiography because you want to tell people how you felt about a certain matter at that time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-hatton/you-write-an-autobiography-because-you-want-to-tell-people-how-you/) [Ricky Hatton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-hatton/) > [There may be a point where I may decide to write an autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-may-be-a-point-where-i-may-decide-to-write-an-autobiography/) [Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/) > [My mother always said that everyone should be required to write an autobiography of their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-keaton/my-mother-always-said-that-everyone-should-be-required-to-write-an/) [Diane Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-keaton/) > [I've been asked to write an autobiography, and I've started it a couple of times, on different angles, and maybe one day I will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-saxon/i-ve-been-asked-to-write-an-autobiography-and-i-ve-started-it-a/) [John Saxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-saxon/) > [I don't want to write an autobiography because I would become public property with no privacy left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-don-t-want-to-write-an-autobiography-because-i-would-become-public/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I've been asked to write my autobiography and really they only want 8 years (1962-1970), and I keep saying it would be five volumes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/i-ve-been-asked-to-write-my-autobiography-and-really-they-only-want-8/) [Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Jeffrey Bernard > [In most betting shops you will see three windows marked 'Bet Here', but only one window with the legend 'Pay Out'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/in-most-betting-shops-you-will-see-three-windows-marked-bet-here-but/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [One way to stop a runaway horse is to bet on him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/one-way-to-stop-a-runaway-horse-is-to-bet-on-him/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [My misdeeds are accidental happenings and merely the result of having been in the wrong bar or bed at the wrong time, say most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/my-misdeeds-are-accidental-happenings-and-merely-the-result-of-having/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [Oh, the self-importance of fading stars. Never mind, they will be black holes one day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/oh-the-self-importance-of-fading-stars-never-mind-they-will-be-black/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [There's nothing undignified about lying about all day and being waited on by servants, sipping bloody champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/there-s-nothing-undignified-about-lying-about-all-day-and-being/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [I was under the care of a couple of medical students who couldn't diagnose a decapitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/i-was-under-the-care-of-a-couple-of-medical-students-who-couldn-t/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [Oh, to me not drinking is like being dead, almost. I sit here taking endless journeys down memory lane. It gets boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/oh-to-me-not-drinking-is-like-being-dead-almost-i-sit-here-taking/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [They smoke cigarettes professionally. The smoke is inhaled very sharply and the teeth are bared.Then the head turns to give you a profile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/they-smoke-cigarettes-professionally-the-smoke-is-inhaled-very/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [A lot of girls annoy me who go to university - one girl told me she was going to Oxford because it was something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/a-lot-of-girls-annoy-me-who-go-to-university-one-girl-told-me-she-was/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [What a pity people don't take as much trouble with their own breeding as intelligent racehorse owners do. But then I suppose it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/what-a-pity-people-don-t-take-as-much-trouble-with-their-own-breeding/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [I enjoy doing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/i-enjoy-doing-nothing/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [But you've got to have money for comfort, which obviously doesn't matter as much when you're young, but even so. I always like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/but-you-ve-got-to-have-money-for-comfort-which-obviously-doesn-t/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [When I was a boy, I naively thought that this thing called happiness would be something I would wake up to find every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/when-i-was-a-boy-i-naively-thought-that-this-thing-called-happiness/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [The only reason I would have liked to have gone to university is because I like cricket. Not a very good reason to want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/the-only-reason-i-would-have-liked-to-have-gone-to-university-is/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [Journalism is the only thinkable alternative to working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/journalism-is-the-only-thinkable-alternative-to-working/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) [Explore all 25 Jeffrey Bernard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) ## 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": "I have been commissioned to write an autobiography and I would be grateful to any of your readers who could tell me what I was doing between 1960 and 1974.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeffrey Bernard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-autobiography-and-i-would-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autobiography" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-autobiography-and-i-would-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/jeffrey-bernard-23628_autobiography_i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-aut_2621484.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/jeffrey-bernard-23628_autobiography_i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-aut_2621484.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/jeffrey-bernard-23628_autobiography_i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-aut_2621484.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have been commissioned to write an autobiography and I would be grateful to any of your readers who could…” — Jeffrey Bernard", "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": "Jeffrey Bernard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have been commissioned to write...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-autobiography-and-i-would-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/i-have-been-commissioned-to-write-an-autobiography-and-i-would-be/#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 } } ] } ```