--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: there is no truly honest autobiography." description: "\"there is no truly honest autobiography.\" — Mary Roberts Rinehart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/mary-roberts-rinehart-4636_autobiography_there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography-2_2270389.jpg" --- # there is no truly honest autobiography. ![“there is no truly honest autobiography.” quote by Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/mary-roberts-rinehart-4636_autobiography_there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography-2_2270389.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/mary-roberts-rinehart-4636_autobiography_there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography-2_2270389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/mary-roberts-rinehart-4636_autobiography_there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography-2_2270389.jpg) > “there is no truly honest autobiography.” [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Autobiographies are inevitably filtered through personal bias, never fully objective. **In simple terms:** Self‑portrayal is always subjective. Key Takeaway Seek multiple perspectives for truth. Themes bias subjectivity self‑representation truth Mood analytical critical Type novel autobiographical When to use this quote - historical research - personal journaling - media analysis - educational critique Key Concepts literary criticism psychology of memory narrative reliability Questions to Reflect On - How does bias shape personal narratives? - Can true honesty ever be achieved? A Different Perspective Complete objectivity may be unattainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [No man could bring himself to reveal his true character, and, above all, his true limitations as a citizen and a Christian, his true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/no-man-could-bring-himself-to-reveal-his-true-character-and-above-all/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I have truly never been honest outside of the home in regards to racism and inequality and what I've been subject to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wunmi-mosaku/i-have-truly-never-been-honest-outside-of-the-home-in-regards-to/) [Wunmi Mosaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wunmi-mosaku/) > [Only a true friend would be that truly honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-a-true-friend-would-be-that-truly-honest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Since when is anyone truly honest with anyone?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/since-when-is-anyone-truly-honest-with-anyone/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [There would be no Mauro Ranallo in MMA, or maybe even period, to be truly honest with you... without Bas Rutten's friendship, mentorship, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mauro-ranallo/there-would-be-no-mauro-ranallo-in-mma-or-maybe-even-period-to-be/) [Mauro Ranallo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mauro-ranallo/) > [When a man or woman is truly honest, it is virtually impossible to insult them personally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/when-a-man-or-woman-is-truly-honest-it-is-virtually-impossible-to/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Yet, those who are truly honest and humble enough to admit the truth come to the end of their earthly lives acknowledging that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/yet-those-who-are-truly-honest-and-humble-enough-to-admit-the-truth/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [Most of us, if we are truly honest with ourselves, have an ever-evolving and ever-growing list of what we think we must change in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-l-jampolsky/most-of-us-if-we-are-truly-honest-with-ourselves-have-an-ever/) [Lee L Jampolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-l-jampolsky/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [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 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/) > [“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 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/) ## More by Mary Roberts Rinehart > [Every crucial experience can be regarded either as a setback, or the start of a wonderful new adventure, it depends on your perspective!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/every-crucial-experience-can-be-regarded-either-as-a-setback-or-the/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [pretense is the oil that lubricates society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/pretense-is-the-oil-that-lubricates-society/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [Men... look back on the children who were once themselves, and attempt to reconstruct them. But they can no longer think like the child...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/men-look-back-on-the-children-who-were-once-themselves-and-attempt-to/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [there comes a time when ambition ceases to burn, or romance to stir, and the highest cry of the human heart is for peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/there-comes-a-time-when-ambition-ceases-to-burn-or-romance-to-stir/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [To men and women who want to do things, there is nothing quite so driving as the force of an imprisoned ego. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/to-men-and-women-who-want-to-do-things-there-is-nothing-quite-so/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [The stage on which we play our little dramas of life and love has for most of us but one setting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/the-stage-on-which-we-play-our-little-dramas-of-life-and-love-has-for/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [ \[On fishing:\] Greatest rest in the world for the brain. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/on-fishing-greatest-rest-in-the-world-for-the-brain/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [I suppose there is something in all of us that harks back to the soil. When you come to think of it, what are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/i-suppose-there-is-something-in-all-of-us-that-harks-back-to-the-soil/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [“The old vicious cycle of empires threatened to repeat itself, the old story of the many led by the few. Always it had come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/the-old-vicious-cycle-of-empires-threatened-to-repeat-itself-the-old/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [We are often miserable at our desk or typewriters, but not happy away from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/we-are-often-miserable-at-our-desk-or-typewriters-but-not-happy-away/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [Men love a joke - on the other fellow. But your really humorous woman loves a joke on herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/men-love-a-joke-on-the-other-fellow-but-your-really-humorous-woman/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [War is a thing of fearful and curious anomalies ... It has shown that government by men only is not an appeal to reason,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/war-is-a-thing-of-fearful-and-curious-anomalies-it-has-shown-that/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [the calm of a place like Bellwood is the peace of death without the hope of resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/the-calm-of-a-place-like-bellwood-is-the-peace-of-death-without-the/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [I never saw a lawyer yet who would admit he was making money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/i-never-saw-a-lawyer-yet-who-would-admit-he-was-making-money/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [“Oh, stop talking," I cried, in a hunted tone. "I can't bear it. If you are going to arrest me, get it over." "I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/oh-stop-talking-i-cried-in-a-hunted-tone-i-can-t-bear-it-if-you-are/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) [Explore all 108 Mary Roberts Rinehart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) ## 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": "there is no truly honest autobiography.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Roberts Rinehart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autobiography" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/mary-roberts-rinehart-4636_autobiography_there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography-2_2270389.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/mary-roberts-rinehart-4636_autobiography_there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography-2_2270389.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/mary-roberts-rinehart-4636_autobiography_there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography-2_2270389.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“there is no truly honest autobiography.” — Mary Roberts Rinehart", "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": "Mary Roberts Rinehart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "there is no truly honest autobiography.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/there-is-no-truly-honest-autobiography/#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 } } ] } ```