--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always loved reading diaries and…" description: "\"I've always loved reading diaries and memoirs and just getting a sense of different personalities and what made them tick as individuals.\" — Margaret M..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/margaret-macmillan-5907_always_i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-me_744270.jpg" --- # I've always loved reading diaries and memoirs and just… ![“I've always loved reading diaries and memoirs and just getting a sense of different personalities and what made them tick as individuals.” quote by Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/margaret-macmillan-5907_always_i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-me_744270.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/margaret-macmillan-5907_always_i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-me_744270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/margaret-macmillan-5907_always_i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-me_744270.jpg) > “I've always loved reading diaries and memoirs and just getting a sense of different personalities and what made them tick as individuals.” [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading personal diaries reveals individual motivations and character, offering insight into diverse human experiences. **In simple terms:** Diaries uncover personal drives and traits. Key Takeaway Explore memoirs to understand different perspectives. Themes curiosity history psychology Mood reflective introspective Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - literary studies - psychology research - creative writing workshops - personal development Key Concepts personal narrative identity formation historical context Questions to Reflect On - What can diaries teach us about universal human concerns? - How do personal narratives shape collective memory? A Different Perspective May not capture broader societal forces beyond the individual. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Diaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaries/) [Diaries Memoirs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaries-memoirs-5804645/) [Different person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-person/) [Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved/) [Memoirs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memoirs/) [Memoirs Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memoirs-just-2012102/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Diaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-diaries-1653517/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) ## Related quotes > [As far as being territorial about one's own life, that's a mistake for ANY writer. All writers everywhere, in every genre, are drawing from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/as-far-as-being-territorial-about-one-s-own-life-that-s-a-mistake-for/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) > [I've been approached many times to write all sorts of books about my past and my personal life. I get interest from people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-vai/i-ve-been-approached-many-times-to-write-all-sorts-of-books-about-my/) [Steve Vai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-vai/) > [I have some very good friends who've written memoirs, but it's not for me. It's just not a format that I'm interested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-bateman/i-have-some-very-good-friends-who-ve-written-memoirs-but-it-s-not-for/) [Justine Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-bateman/) > [I could never write my memoirs, just because too many people are still alive and would be hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-willis/i-could-never-write-my-memoirs-just-because-too-many-people-are-still/) [Bruce Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-willis/) > [Whenever I can, I like to go to Cotswolds, in England, where my husband had a cottage. I spend my time reading his diaries,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/whenever-i-can-i-like-to-go-to-cotswolds-in-england-where-my-husband/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [A lot of folks just get it in their head that, for instance, like writing memoirs is just easy. You just write down what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/a-lot-of-folks-just-get-it-in-their-head-that-for-instance-like/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [I think the secret of memoirs is keeping those parts of yourself off the page, which makes what you do share more valuable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-barr/i-think-the-secret-of-memoirs-is-keeping-those-parts-of-yourself-off/) [Damian Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-barr/) > [ “They \[his readers, whom he asks to be his friends\] will find that I have always loved truth so passionately that I have often… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casanova/they-his-readers-whom-he-asks-to-be-his-friends-will-find-that-i-have/) [Casanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casanova/) > [We have so many great memoirs from women in front of the camera, from Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler, and Amy Schumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/we-have-so-many-great-memoirs-from-women-in-front-of-the-camera-from/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [“Oh I'm sure you're right," Auntie said. "Probably she's just as you say. But she looks to me like a very clever girl, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/oh-i-m-sure-you-re-right-auntie-said-probably-she-s-just-as-you-say/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [The memoirs of the Grand Duchess Olga are an entertaining record for anyone interested in the imperial family's home life during the last years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/the-memoirs-of-the-grand-duchess-olga-are-an-entertaining-record-for/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [I put off writing the first Left Behind book for a year because I got invited to assist Billy Graham in his memoirs, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/i-put-off-writing-the-first-left-behind-book-for-a-year-because-i-got/) [Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/) > [“My China Diary and Walking With Lions, were memoirs of his diplomatic and political experiences. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/my-china-diary-and-walking-with-lions-were-memoirs-of-his-diplomatic/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“...what draws us into a story and keeps us there is the firing of our dopamine neurons, signaling that intriguing information is on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-cron/what-draws-us-into-a-story-and-keeps-us-there-is-the-firing-of-our/) [Lisa Cron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-cron/) > [Memoirs are going to be problematic sells for a while, though, because even if memoir means "based in memory," right now, in the collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-monroe/memoirs-are-going-to-be-problematic-sells-for-a-while-though-because/) [Debra Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-monroe/) ## More by Margaret MacMillan > [Some might argue humans are hard-wired to fight. I don't agree: we are conscious beings who have the capacity to make decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/some-might-argue-humans-are-hard-wired-to-fight-i-don-t-agree-we-are/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [I wish we could see understanding the First World War as a European issue, or even a global one, and not a nationalistic one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/i-wish-we-could-see-understanding-the-first-world-war-as-a-european/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Theodore Roosevelt's policy to build a two-ocean navy confirmed that the old-style isolationism of the founders had not survived the modern, increasingly globalized world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/theodore-roosevelt-s-policy-to-build-a-two-ocean-navy-confirmed-that/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Individual lives remind us that there is something called a common humanity and that, over the centuries, there have been people who have lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/individual-lives-remind-us-that-there-is-something-called-a-common/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [The 1898 annexation of the Hawaiian Islands merely formally recognized what had long been American domination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/the-1898-annexation-of-the-hawaiian-islands-merely-formally/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [“There are only two perfectly useless things in the world,” he quipped. “One is an appendix and the other is Poincaré!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/there-are-only-two-perfectly-useless-things-in-the-world-he-quipped/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [“Nationalist movements often overlapped with economic and class issues: Rumanian and Ruthenian peasants, for example, challenged their Hungarian and Polish landlords.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/nationalist-movements-often-overlapped-with-economic-and-class-issues/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [How curious that such an outsize man, in physique as well as personality, should be remembered today mainly for giving his name to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/how-curious-that-such-an-outsize-man-in-physique-as-well-as/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [“Part of Nietzsche’s appeal was that it was easy to read a great deal into his work, and people including socialists, vegetarians, feminists, conservatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/part-of-nietzsche-s-appeal-was-that-it-was-easy-to-read-a-great-deal/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [The Great War was nobody's fault - or everybody's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/the-great-war-was-nobody-s-fault-or-everybody-s/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [If we do not, as historians, write the history of great events as well as the small stories that make up the past, others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/if-we-do-not-as-historians-write-the-history-of-great-events-as-well/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Many in the English-speaking world came to agree with the Germans that the Treaty of Versailles, and the reparations in particular, were unjust, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/many-in-the-english-speaking-world-came-to-agree-with-the-germans/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Women are interested in relationships and how other societies manage those relationships. They may have been constrained in what roles were open to them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/women-are-interested-in-relationships-and-how-other-societies-manage/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Managing the relationship with a giant neighbour has been central to our foreign policy for more than a century. Trade and investment, as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/managing-the-relationship-with-a-giant-neighbour-has-been-central-to/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [I like to think I'm a recovering historian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/i-like-to-think-i-m-a-recovering-historian/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) [Explore all 98 Margaret MacMillan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've always loved reading diaries and memoirs and just getting a sense of different personalities and what made them tick as individuals.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret MacMillan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-memoirs-and-just-getting-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-memoirs-and-just-getting-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/margaret-macmillan-5907_always_i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-me_744270.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/margaret-macmillan-5907_always_i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-me_744270.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/margaret-macmillan-5907_always_i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-me_744270.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've always loved reading diaries and memoirs and just getting a sense of different personalities and what…” — Margaret MacMillan", "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": "Margaret MacMillan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've always loved reading diaries and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-memoirs-and-just-getting-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/i-ve-always-loved-reading-diaries-and-memoirs-and-just-getting-a/#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 } } ] } ```