--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't like the word 'autobiography.' I…" description: "\"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 life, it becomes fic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/marjane-satrapi-1702_autobiography_i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-ra_93410.jpg" --- # I don't like the word 'autobiography.' I rather like the… ![“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 life, it becomes fictional. Of course, the truth is never far. But the story is created out of it.” quote by Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/marjane-satrapi-1702_autobiography_i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-ra_93410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/marjane-satrapi-1702_autobiography_i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-ra_93410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/marjane-satrapi-1702_autobiography_i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-ra_93410.jpg) > “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 life, it becomes fictional. Of course, the truth is never far. But the story is created out of it.” [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author prefers 'autofiction' over 'autobiography' because framing life as a script allows creative liberty while staying anchored to truth. **In simple terms:** Autofiction blends truth with creative storytelling. Key Takeaway Narrative framing shapes perception of self. Themes genre identity creativity truth Mood introspective curious Type reflection literary When to use this quote - memoir writing workshops - film scripting - personal branding Key Concepts subjectivity memory reconstruction Practical Applications - experiment with fictionalized self‑portraits - use narrative techniques to explore identity Questions to Reflect On - When does creative liberty distort personal truth? - How can readers discern fact from artistic embellishment? A Different Perspective Fictionalization may blur factual accuracy, causing misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-of-your-life/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things that writing has taught me is that fiction has a life of its own. Fictional places are sometimes more real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/one-of-the-things-that-writing-has-taught-me-is-that-fiction-has-a/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [“Johnson argued that the most truthful life-writing is when ‘the writer tells his own story’, since only he knows the whole truth about himself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/johnson-argued-that-the-most-truthful-life-writing-is-when-the-writer/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) > [“In a way, an autobiography seems to me like a household book of accounts – what has been acquired, to what purpose has it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/in-a-way-an-autobiography-seems-to-me-like-a-household-book-of/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [Dammit, Dresden, if you want to know about me, wait for the autobiography like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/dammit-dresden-if-you-want-to-know-about-me-wait-for-the/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [I don't feel famous and I didn't want my autobiography to be like a Paris Hilton story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-don-t-feel-famous-and-i-didn-t-want-my-autobiography-to-be-like-a/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Hiring someone to write your autobiography is like hiring someone to take a bath for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/hiring-someone-to-write-your-autobiography-is-like-hiring-someone-to/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [The story of your life is really the story of the relations between yourself and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmet-fox/the-story-of-your-life-is-really-the-story-of-the-relations-between/) [Emmet Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmet-fox/) > [“Each of us, along with our ancestors, inhabits the same cosmos. When we tell stories, we enter the stream of human consciousness; we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/each-of-us-along-with-our-ancestors-inhabits-the-same-cosmos-when-we/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“The way you live your day is a sentence in the story of your life. Each day you make the choice whether the sentence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/the-way-you-live-your-day-is-a-sentence-in-the-story-of-your-life/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [ “\[E\]verything is fiction. When you tell yourself the story of your life, the story of your day, you edit and rewrite and weave a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ridgway/e-verything-is-fiction-when-you-tell-yourself-the-story-of-your-life/) Keith Ridgway > [The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/the-story-of-your-life-is-the-story-of-the-long-and-brutal-assault-on/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [“Life is a collection of memories and feelings. Mawkish sentimentally urges us to engage in artistic overtures, we yearn to share with other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/life-is-a-collection-of-memories-and-feelings-mawkish-sentimentally/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“There are transitions in life whether we want them or not. You get older. You lose jobs and loves and people. The story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/there-are-transitions-in-life-whether-we-want-them-or-not-you-get/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [He was born. He grew up. He got married. He finally died.Make sure the story of your life is more than this. Do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-was-born-he-grew-up-he-got-married-he-finally-died-make-sure-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We take creative license with the fictional narratives that become our memories. Anthologized, these are the tales that become the story of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-ganek/we-take-creative-license-with-the-fictional-narratives-that-become/) [Danielle Ganek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-ganek/) ## More by Marjane Satrapi > [I became the voice of a generation in a very surprising way, because many Iranians recognize themselves in it. But that is not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-became-the-voice-of-a-generation-in-a-very-surprising-way-because/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [With live-action I think we'd have lost the universal appeal of the Persepolis story. With live-action, it would have turned into a story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/with-live-action-i-think-we-d-have-lost-the-universal-appeal-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I don't think that I have ever been rebellious. The thing is that I don't believe in people - what people tell me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-don-t-think-that-i-have-ever-been-rebellious-the-thing-is-that-i/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [Drawing is the first language of the human being before writing. It's a transcription of how the human being sees reality, not reality itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/drawing-is-the-first-language-of-the-human-being-before-writing-it-s/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I was a westerner in Iran, an Iranian in the West. I had no identity. I didn't even know anymore why I was living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-was-a-westerner-in-iran-an-iranian-in-the-west-i-had-no-identity-i/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I'm not a politician. I don't know how to solve the problems of the world. But as an artist, I have one duty: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-m-not-a-politician-i-don-t-know-how-to-solve-the-problems-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [A cat can never be well-trained because they're too independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/a-cat-can-never-be-well-trained-because-they-re-too-independent/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [It's fear that makes us lose our conscience. It's also what transforms us into cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/it-s-fear-that-makes-us-lose-our-conscience-it-s-also-what-transforms/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I am absolutely not a feminist, I am against stupidity, and if it comes from males or females, it doesn't change anything. If it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-am-absolutely-not-a-feminist-i-am-against-stupidity-and-if-it-comes/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I was a child who had a life, who had hopes, and I wished that a bomb would not fall on my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-was-a-child-who-had-a-life-who-had-hopes-and-i-wished-that-a-bomb/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [There are things that I love in Iranian cinema and things that I don't. In Iranian cinema, you have to use metaphor because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/there-are-things-that-i-love-in-iranian-cinema-and-things-that-i-don/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I had learned that you should always shout louder than your aggressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-had-learned-that-you-should-always-shout-louder-than-your-aggressor/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [In the West, people don't have any real problems. It's all based on bad conscience, a very Christian notion. I don't have any bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/in-the-west-people-don-t-have-any-real-problems-it-s-all-based-on-bad/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [When we're afraid, we lose all sense of analysis and reflection. Our fear paralyzes us. Besides, fear has always been the driving force behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/when-we-re-afraid-we-lose-all-sense-of-analysis-and-reflection-our/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [Smoking kills you, but life kills you, and if you don't want to die, go into a freezer when you are born and nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/smoking-kills-you-but-life-kills-you-and-if-you-don-t-want-to-die-go/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) [Explore all 204 Marjane Satrapi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) ## 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/) > [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": "I don't like the word 'autobiography.' 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