--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I only read biographies, metaphysics and…" description: "\"I only read biographies, metaphysics and psychology. I can dream up my own fiction.\" — Mae West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/mae-west-1200_biographies_i-only-read-biographies-metaphysics-and_1595859.jpg" --- # I only read biographies, metaphysics and psychology. I can… ![“I only read biographies, metaphysics and psychology. I can dream up my own fiction.” quote by Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/mae-west-1200_biographies_i-only-read-biographies-metaphysics-and_1595859.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/mae-west-1200_biographies_i-only-read-biographies-metaphysics-and_1595859.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/mae-west-1200_biographies_i-only-read-biographies-metaphysics-and_1595859.jpg) > “I only read biographies, metaphysics and psychology. I can dream up my own fiction.” [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal interests lie in factual studies; imagination is self‑generated, not consumed. **In simple terms:** Read facts, create own stories. Key Takeaway Cultivate knowledge, trust personal creativity. Themes learning creativity self‑reliance fiction Mood playful introspective Type cinematic philosophical When to use this quote - academic research - creative writing - self‑reflection - storytelling Key Concepts biography metaphysics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do facts inspire your fiction? - What role does imagination play in problem solving? A Different Perspective May undervalue external narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) [Biographies Metaphysics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies-metaphysics-6057588/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dream Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-fiction-5189053/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Metaphysics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysics/) [Metaphysics Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysics-psychology-3826245/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Read Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-biographies-2893150/) [Sarcastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcastic/) [Witty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witty/) ## Related quotes > [Breathless and unharmed, we emerge from the mazes of metaphysics and psychology where man and the soul are playing hide-and-seek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ameen-rihani/breathless-and-unharmed-we-emerge-from-the-mazes-of-metaphysics-and/) [Ameen Rihani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ameen-rihani/) > [Anything you dream is fiction, and anything you accomplish is science, the whole history of mankind is nothing but science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/anything-you-dream-is-fiction-and-anything-you-accomplish-is-science/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When I read biographies, I skip the first thirty pages about the childhood because it doesn't seem interesting to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/when-i-read-biographies-i-skip-the-first-thirty-pages-about-the/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Unfortunately, I'm not a history buff. I don't read biographies, except of some of those writers whom I've collected over the years - particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-larroquette/unfortunately-i-m-not-a-history-buff-i-don-t-read-biographies-except/) [John Larroquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-larroquette/) > [Well, I was always a bit of a political junkie. Even as a kid I would read biographies of presidents and of civil rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/well-i-was-always-a-bit-of-a-political-junkie-even-as-a-kid-i-would/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [I will read biographies or autobiographies while I'm writing, but mostly I put books in a to-read queue, like Rachel Cusk's new novel, "Outline."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-will-read-biographies-or-autobiographies-while-i-m-writing-but/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [If you have to read to cheer yourself up, read biographies of writers who went insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/if-you-have-to-read-to-cheer-yourself-up-read-biographies-of-writers/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [When I read biographies, I'm only interested in the first few chapters. I'm not interested in when people become successful. I'm interested in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/when-i-read-biographies-i-m-only-interested-in-the-first-few-chapters/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [Usually I read biographies of interesting people. I am not attracted to novels - make-believe, or recreations of what people think life should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/usually-i-read-biographies-of-interesting-people-i-am-not-attracted/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [I like to read biographies of authors that I love, like Richard Yates. I also like to see what non-fiction authors are out there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lewis/i-like-to-read-biographies-of-authors-that-i-love-like-richard-yates/) [Richard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lewis/) > [He read biographies of great men from their ideal values can not become great;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/he-read-biographies-of-great-men-from-their-ideal-values-can-not/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [“I love to read the biographies of godly men and women who achieved great things for God. Generally I find that one line of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-fruh/i-love-to-read-the-biographies-of-godly-men-and-women-who-achieved/) [Aaron Fruh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-fruh/) > [“I don’t read biographies for moral instruction, or for a history lesson. I want to know what people are saying about me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bauvard/i-don-t-read-biographies-for-moral-instruction-or-for-a-history/) [Bauvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bauvard/) > [I read biographies of people I think have either done excellent work or achieved a lot, and the common theme seems to be that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cantlay/i-read-biographies-of-people-i-think-have-either-done-excellent-work/) [Patrick Cantlay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cantlay/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) ## More by Mae West > [Reason was nowhere, time was an immovable object nailed high on the wall, except where the world kept shop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/reason-was-nowhere-time-was-an-immovable-object-nailed-high-on-the/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [I've been in 'Who's Who' and I know what's what, but it'll be the first time I ever made the dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-ve-been-in-who-s-who-and-i-know-what-s-what-but-it-ll-be-the-first/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Look your best - who said love is blind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/look-your-best-who-said-love-is-blind/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Don't let a man put anything over on you except an umbrella.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/don-t-let-a-man-put-anything-over-on-you-except-an-umbrella/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [In my long and colorful career, one thing stands out: I have been misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/in-my-long-and-colorful-career-one-thing-stands-out-i-have-been/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [The finest woman that ever walked the streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/the-finest-woman-that-ever-walked-the-streets/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [The best way to hold a man is in your arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/the-best-way-to-hold-a-man-is-in-your-arms/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Live close, visit often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/live-close-visit-often/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [A real farmer. He spent his childhood in the wheat, and his marriage in the hay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/a-real-farmer-he-spent-his-childhood-in-the-wheat-and-his-marriage-in/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Marriage? I ain't got time for a husband or child. All my life I've looked after myself as if I was my own child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-i-ain-t-got-time-for-a-husband-or-child-all-my-life-i-ve/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“If I can't a man with a million dollars, I'll a million men with one dollar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/if-i-can-t-a-man-with-a-million-dollars-i-ll-a-million-men-with-one/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Sometimes I don't drink so the next day I can remember having fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/sometimes-i-don-t-drink-so-the-next-day-i-can-remember-having-fun/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Positive thoughts generate positive feelings and attract positive life experiences. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/positive-thoughts-generate-positive-feelings-and-attract-positive/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [I believe in the single standard -- for men and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-believe-in-the-single-standard-for-men-and-women/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“Goodness had nothing to do with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/goodness-had-nothing-to-do-with-it/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) [Explore all 271 Mae West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) ## More Biographies quotes > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/) [Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/) > [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [All Philosophy is Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/all-philosophy-is-biography/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/life-is-a-biography-not-a-series-of-disconnected-moments-more-or-less/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/) [Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/) > [The richly cadenced prose is hypnotic, the research prodigious, the analysis acute, the mood spellbinding, and the cast of characters mythic in scale. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-richly-cadenced-prose-is-hypnotic-the-research-prodigious-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I don't want to say that most rock bands live these formulaic biography existences - but they kinda do. There's always a divorce. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-don-t-want-to-say-that-most-rock-bands-live-these-formulaic/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [It can be a long gap between the emergence of fully researched historical biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-fraser/it-can-be-a-long-gap-between-the-emergence-of-fully-researched/) [Antonia Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-fraser/) > [Always live your life with your biography in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/always-live-your-life-with-your-biography-in-mind/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) [Browse all 587 Biographies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I only read biographies, metaphysics and psychology. 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