--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: biography cannot be separated from…" description: "\"biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled with the life of the biographer.\" — Linda S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/linda-simon-86577_autobiography_biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autob_78741.jpg" --- # biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is… ![“biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled with the life of the biographer.” quote by Linda Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/linda-simon-86577_autobiography_biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autob_78741.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/linda-simon-86577_autobiography_biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autob_78741.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/linda-simon-86577_autobiography_biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autob_78741.jpg) > “biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled with the life of the biographer.” [Linda Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Biographies inherently reflect the biographer's perspective, making them a blend of subject and author narratives. **In simple terms:** Biographies are autobiographical. Key Takeaway Subject and author are inseparable. Themes subjectivity narrative identity interpretation history Mood thoughtful analytical Type observation insight When to use this quote - writing a biography - studying historical figures - teaching literature - analyzing media - personal memoirs Key Concepts authorial bias self-reflection historical context Practical Applications - critical reading of biographies - guiding biographers to self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - How does an author's worldview shape a biography? - Can a biography ever be truly objective? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Autobiography Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography-life-603765/) [Biographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographer-399530/) [Biographers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographers/) [Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) [Biography Separated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biography-separated-1011157/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Biographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-biographer-1011159/) [Separated Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separated-autobiography-1011158/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) ## Related quotes > [The facts of life are to the biographer what the text of a novel is to the critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/the-facts-of-life-are-to-the-biographer-what-the-text-of-a-novel-is/) [Victoria Glendinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/) > [I am well aware that the path of the biographer is beset with pitfalls, and that, for him, suppressio veri is almost necessarily suggestio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-dodgson-collingwood/i-am-well-aware-that-the-path-of-the-biographer-is-beset-with/) [Stuart Dodgson Collingwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-dodgson-collingwood/) > [The biographer's real business - if it is not too arrogant to say so - is simply this: to bring the dead to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/the-biographer-s-real-business-if-it-is-not-too-arrogant-to-say-so-is/) [Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/) > [The biographer who writes the life of his subjects self-concept passes through a fade into the inner house of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-edel/the-biographer-who-writes-the-life-of-his-subjects-self-concept/) [Leon Edel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-edel/) > [Eleanor Marx was her father's first biographer. All subsequent biographies of Karl Marx, and most of Engels, draw on her work as their primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-holmes/eleanor-marx-was-her-father-s-first-biographer-all-subsequent/) [Rachel Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-holmes/) > [biography is essentially a collaborative art, the latest biographer collaborating with all those who wrote earlier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/biography-is-essentially-a-collaborative-art-the-latest-biographer/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [My life and work have been far from free of blemish, and so I think it would be unpardonable for a biographer not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-styron/my-life-and-work-have-been-far-from-free-of-blemish-and-so-i-think-it/) [William Styron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-styron/) > [Every business should have its biographer-not after its head is dead but to show that he's very much alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-pierson/every-business-should-have-its-biographer-not-after-its-head-is-dead/) [Frank Pierson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-pierson/) > [As it often happens that the best men are but little known, and consequently cannot extend the usefulness of their examples a great way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/as-it-often-happens-that-the-best-men-are-but-little-known-and/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [while it is certainly the biographer's business to describe the foibles, passions and idiosyncrasies which make his subject a person, his work will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/while-it-is-certainly-the-biographer-s-business-to-describe-the/) [Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/) > [In Milly Barranger, Margaret Webster has found the perfect biographer. In Margaret Webster, Milly Barranger has found her perfect subject. She brings to vivid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/in-milly-barranger-margaret-webster-has-found-the-perfect-biographer/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [His Cheek is his Biographer- As long as he can blush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/his-cheek-is-his-biographer-as-long-as-he-can-blush/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“For the biographer, the final clue to character lies in the yet unread - the scribbled note, the diary page, a notation in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-furman/for-the-biographer-the-final-clue-to-character-lies-in-the-yet-unread/) [Laura Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-furman/) > [Ronald Reagan's biographer wrote of the former president's final days: "for all the intimate familiarity of that face and body, I did not feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-morris/ronald-reagan-s-biographer-wrote-of-the-former-president-s-final-days/) [Edwin Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-morris/) > [Man you can define; but the true essence of any man, say, for instance, of Abraham Lincoln, remains the endlessly elusive and mysterious object…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-royce/man-you-can-define-but-the-true-essence-of-any-man-say-for-instance/) [Josiah Royce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-royce/) ## More by Linda Simon > [Much more than a 20th-century village storyteller, Cees Nooteboom stands as an impressive and inimitable voice among contemporary writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/much-more-than-a-20th-century-village-storyteller-cees-nooteboom/) [Linda Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-simon/) > [Ignorant of history, we find it easy to accept our isolation from one another. We are more able to recognize differences than shared experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/ignorant-of-history-we-find-it-easy-to-accept-our-isolation-from-one/) [Linda Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-simon/) [Explore all 3 Linda Simon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-simon/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [Autobiography is mostly alibiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/autobiography-is-mostly-alibiography/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) [Browse all 642 Autobiography quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled with the life of the biographer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Linda Simon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autobiography-that-is-the-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autobiography" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autobiography-that-is-the-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/linda-simon-86577_autobiography_biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autob_78741.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/linda-simon-86577_autobiography_biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autob_78741.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/linda-simon-86577_autobiography_biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autob_78741.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled…” — Linda Simon", "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": "Linda Simon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-simon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "biography cannot be separated from autobiography:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autobiography-that-is-the-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autobiography-that-is-the-life/#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 } } ] } ```