--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was 12. Our ,teacher made us write an…" description: "\"I was 12. Our ,teacher made us write an autobiography and I realised that I wasn't very interesting. I began to make things up, and that's when I thoug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/john-burnham-schwartz-22392_autobiography_i-was-12-our-teacher-made-us-write-an-au_1909860.jpg" --- # I was 12. Our ,teacher made us write an autobiography and… ![“I was 12. Our ,teacher made us write an autobiography and I realised that I wasn't very interesting. I began to make things up, and that's when I thought maybe I was a writer, or at least a fiction writer.” quote by John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/john-burnham-schwartz-22392_autobiography_i-was-12-our-teacher-made-us-write-an-au_1909860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/john-burnham-schwartz-22392_autobiography_i-was-12-our-teacher-made-us-write-an-au_1909860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/john-burnham-schwartz-22392_autobiography_i-was-12-our-teacher-made-us-write-an-au_1909860.jpg) > “I was 12. Our ,teacher made us write an autobiography and I realised that I wasn't very interesting. I began to make things up, and that's when I thought maybe I was a writer, or at least a fiction writer.” [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling uninteresting led the author to fabricate stories, sparking a belief in his own writing potential. **In simple terms:** Realizing he was boring, he started making up stories and felt he could be a writer. Key Takeaway Embrace imagination to discover hidden talents. Themes self‑discovery creativity identity growth Mood reflective inspirational Type personal creative When to use this quote - writing workshops - school assignments - personal journaling - creative confidence Key Concepts imagination self‑efficacy narrative construction Questions to Reflect On - What stories do you tell yourself? - How can you turn self‑doubt into creative fuel? A Different Perspective Fiction may mask underlying insecurities if not balanced with authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writer/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/writing-comes-from-reading-and-reading-is-the-finest-teacher-of-how/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/you-should-write-because-you-love-the-shape-of-stories-and-sentences/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [I was really rudderless at one point my life. And once I started reading books, then I got the idea that maybe I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-was-really-rudderless-at-one-point-my-life-and-once-i-started/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [I knew the alphabet. Maybe I could be a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/i-knew-the-alphabet-maybe-i-could-be-a-writer/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I was getting rewarded for writing well, from about the age of five or six. A teacher would say, "Look what Andrew has written,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/i-was-getting-rewarded-for-writing-well-from-about-the-age-of-five-or/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [“I still believe in you, as a writer, but the only stuff we ever had in common doesn't travel very far." "What stuff is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving-author/i-still-believe-in-you-as-a-writer-but-the-only-stuff-we-ever-had-in/) John Irving (Author > [“When my head is in the typewriter the last thing on my mind is some imaginary reader. I don’t have an audience; I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/when-my-head-is-in-the-typewriter-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-is-some/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [When I see things in the world that leap out at me, I want to make use of them in fiction. Maybe every writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/when-i-see-things-in-the-world-that-leap-out-at-me-i-want-to-make-use/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [If I have any advantage, maybe, as a writer, it is that I don't think I'm very interesting. I mean, beginning a novel with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/if-i-have-any-advantage-maybe-as-a-writer-it-is-that-i-don-t-think-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I'm a Sit Down Stand Up Comedian, whatever the hell that is. Maybe a writer with a short attention span and one broken crayon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-cowles/i-m-a-sit-down-stand-up-comedian-whatever-the-hell-that-is-maybe-a/) [Rock Cowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-cowles/) > [“Never let it be said that life in Charley Land wasn’t interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/never-let-it-be-said-that-life-in-charley-land-wasn-t-interesting/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [I am what I am. Before I was not so proud to make fashion. My family thought fashion wasn't very interesting. So I hid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupa-kundu/i-am-what-i-am-before-i-was-not-so-proud-to-make-fashion-my-family/) [Rupa Kundu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupa-kundu/) > [“she wasn't very interesting but few people are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/she-wasn-t-very-interesting-but-few-people-are/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“You can't say it wasn't interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/you-can-t-say-it-wasn-t-interesting/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“But after a while, the whole thing just wasn’t interesting to him anymore, and he ran out of things to keep himself numb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/but-after-a-while-the-whole-thing-just-wasn-t-interesting-to-him/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) ## More by John Burnham Schwartz > [There's no backward and no forward, no day other than this. You fill your cart as you go, and that's that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/there-s-no-backward-and-no-forward-no-day-other-than-this-you-fill/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Beyond the terrace, a light breeze stirred the reeds at the edge of the pond. Looking out at this intimate vista, one could see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/beyond-the-terrace-a-light-breeze-stirred-the-reeds-at-the-edge-of/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Men had suddenly become a scarce commodity, if not quite as sought after as rice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/men-had-suddenly-become-a-scarce-commodity-if-not-quite-as-sought/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [“Inaction is not the same thing as patience. It is instead a kind of perpetual waiting room, a sterile holding pen for unlived desire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/inaction-is-not-the-same-thing-as-patience-it-is-instead-a-kind-of/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Certain experiences you never forget, no matter how old you become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/certain-experiences-you-never-forget-no-matter-how-old-you-become/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [For a couple of years at the end of the 1970s, Dustin Hoffman was a fixture in our family. My father was his lawyer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/for-a-couple-of-years-at-the-end-of-the-1970s-dustin-hoffman-was-a/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [I have long admired the visceral storytelling and moral complexity of John Vaillant’s brilliant non-fiction about humankind’s tragically ambivalent relationship with the natural world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/i-have-long-admired-the-visceral-storytelling-and-moral-complexity-of/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [“Why? What had she ever done? What had any of them ever done? To give a child only to take him away. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/why-what-had-she-ever-done-what-had-any-of-them-ever-done-to-give-a/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Anyone who loved Tuesdays with Morrie should delight in reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Mitch Albom has populated his larger-than-life tale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/anyone-who-loved-tuesdays-with-morrie-should-delight-in-reading-the/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [It is one thing to recognise certain potentially useful affinities, and another to act on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/it-is-one-thing-to-recognise-certain-potentially-useful-affinities/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [In Japan, more than in any other country I've ever been in, one is not supposed to write about the people in the glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/in-japan-more-than-in-any-other-country-i-ve-ever-been-in-one-is-not/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [The difference between great actors and the rest of us isn't simply that they know how to make more out of less, but that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/the-difference-between-great-actors-and-the-rest-of-us-isn-t-simply/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [“I sat thinking. How it was she who'd mentioned love first. How she seemed to be waiting, the door still between us, for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/i-sat-thinking-how-it-was-she-who-d-mentioned-love-first-how-she/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Had I not gone to Japan in 1986, had I stayed home and majored in English literature as I'd intended to do, I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/had-i-not-gone-to-japan-in-1986-had-i-stayed-home-and-majored-in/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [“She was Mattie Tucker now, mother of three and a good forty pounds heavier, casting that burning eye over them all, reaching way back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/she-was-mattie-tucker-now-mother-of-three-and-a-good-forty-pounds/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) [Explore all 27 John Burnham Schwartz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) ## 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 > [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 > [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 was 12. Our ,teacher made us write an autobiography and I realised that I wasn't very interesting. 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