--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I once read that there are more…" description: "\"I once read that there are more biographical works about Napoleon Bonaparte than any other man in history.\" — Michael Dirda" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/michael-dirda-3414_history_i-once-read-that-there-are-more-biograph_2017217.png" --- # I once read that there are more biographical works about… ![“I once read that there are more biographical works about Napoleon Bonaparte than any other man in history.” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/michael-dirda-3414_history_i-once-read-that-there-are-more-biograph_2017217.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/michael-dirda-3414_history_i-once-read-that-there-are-more-biograph_2017217.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/michael-dirda-3414_history_i-once-read-that-there-are-more-biograph_2017217.png) > “I once read that there are more biographical works about Napoleon Bonaparte than any other man in history.” [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Napoleon's life has inspired more biographies than any other historical figure. **In simple terms:** Napoleon is a prolific subject for biographers. Key Takeaway Explore why certain figures dominate literature. Themes history biography celebrity Mood curious reflective Type analytical informative When to use this quote - research - writing - education - public interest Key Concepts legacy cultural impact historical narrative Questions to Reflect On - What makes a figure biographically appealing? - How does fame affect historical record? A Different Perspective Overemphasis may overlook other important lives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biographical Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographical-works-3633127/) [Bonaparte Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bonaparte-man-3633128/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Napoleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/napoleon/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/napoleon-bonaparte/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Read Biographical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-biographical-944331/) [Works Napoleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-napoleon-3633126/) ## Related quotes > [When I sit down with my team before an engagement, sometimes they are horrified as I say I don't want to read the biographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camilla-duchess-of-cornwall/when-i-sit-down-with-my-team-before-an-engagement-sometimes-they-are/) [Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camilla-duchess-of-cornwall/) > [This soldier, I realized, must have had friends at home and in his regiment; yet he lay there deserted by all except his dog.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/this-soldier-i-realized-must-have-had-friends-at-home-and-in-his/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [It was 1953, and I was still at school. I'd borrowed a silent French film from the library for my 9.5mm projector. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/it-was-1953-and-i-was-still-at-school-i-d-borrowed-a-silent-french/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [Europeans are forever the offspring of Machiavelli, trapped in a historical rollercoaster that can bring us a monarchy-toppling French Revolution and then a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-napoleoni/europeans-are-forever-the-offspring-of-machiavelli-trapped-in-a/) [Loretta Napoleoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-napoleoni/) > [“It requires more courage to suffer than to die. —Napoleon Bonaparte”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-cheevers/it-requires-more-courage-to-suffer-than-to-die-napoleon-bonaparte/) [Jack Cheevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-cheevers/) > [“Sometimes a revolution turns into an actual government, or at the very least an actual way of life that contrasts with days past like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-brickl/sometimes-a-revolution-turns-into-an-actual-government-or-at-the-very/) [Kelsey Brickl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-brickl/) > [Suppose someone sits down where you are sitting right now and announces to me that he is Napoleon Bonaparte. The last thing I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-solow/suppose-someone-sits-down-where-you-are-sitting-right-now-and/) [Robert Solow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-solow/) > [“By common consent the eminent man of the time was Napoleon Bonaparte, the revolution queller, the burgher sovereign, the imperial democrat, the supreme captain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-milligan-sloane/by-common-consent-the-eminent-man-of-the-time-was-napoleon-bonaparte/) [William Milligan Sloane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-milligan-sloane/) > [“Never interfere with an enemy while he’s in the process of destroying himself.’ Napoleon Bonaparte”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/never-interfere-with-an-enemy-while-he-s-in-the-process-of-destroying/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [While Napoleon believed his fortunes to be governed by destiny, his real genius lay in self-control and martial daring coupled with an indomitable will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/while-napoleon-believed-his-fortunes-to-be-governed-by-destiny-his/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [“My Princess Layla I cannot express how much I am looking forward to returning to you tomorrow. My heart feels heavy even as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-coulson/my-princess-layla-i-cannot-express-how-much-i-am-looking-forward-to/) [Marie Coulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-coulson/) > [“Are you a psychiatrist?” “I don’t think so.” He shuffles forward, heading towards a side bay that, as I approach it, turns out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/are-you-a-psychiatrist-i-don-t-think-so-he-shuffles-forward-heading/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“ “I’m talking about greatness, about taking a lever to the world and moving it,” Larry Ellison said, walking the grounds of his new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-guthrie/i-m-talking-about-greatness-about-taking-a-lever-to-the-world-and/) [Julian Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-guthrie/) > [“Neurotics, proceed with delusions of grandeur. Napoleon Bonaparte, take the lead. Jesus Christ, bring up the rear. Simulate severe depression. Non-communicative with repressed hostility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/neurotics-proceed-with-delusions-of-grandeur-napoleon-bonaparte-take/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [ \[Wise men\] have tried to understand our state of being, by grasping at its stars, or its arts, or its economics. But, if there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/wise-men-have-tried-to-understand-our-state-of-being-by-grasping-at/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) ## More by Michael Dirda > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I sometimes lie awake at night and try to imagine what would be the best period in history to spend one's seventy-odd years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-sometimes-lie-awake-at-night-and-try-to-imagine-what-would-be-the/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [To my mind, 'Dear Brutus' stands halfway between Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 'Into the Woods'. 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But they should increase our skepticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/books-by-their-very-nature-and-variety-help-us-grow-in-empathy-for/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [My gift, if that's not too grandiose a term, is one for describing novels, biographies, and works of history in such a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/my-gift-if-that-s-not-too-grandiose-a-term-is-one-for-describing/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Once we know the plot and its surprises, we can appreciate a book's artistry without the usual confusion and sap flow of emotion, content…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/once-we-know-the-plot-and-its-surprises-we-can-appreciate-a-book-s/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [My wife tells me I should check out 'Downton Abbey', but I gather that series might be almost too intense for my temperate nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/my-wife-tells-me-i-should-check-out-downton-abbey-but-i-gather-that/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [A reviewer's lot is not always an easy one. I can remember flogging myself to finish Harold Brodkey's 'The Runaway Soul' despite the novel's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/a-reviewer-s-lot-is-not-always-an-easy-one-i-can-remember-flogging/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I once read that in vaudeville, it was often the straight guy who got paid more than the comic because that's the tougher job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-once-read-that-in-vaudeville-it-was-often-the-straight-guy-who-got/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [From the late 19th to the early 20th century, the December issue of almost any general-interest magazine regularly featured a holiday horror or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/from-the-late-19th-to-the-early-20th-century-the-december-issue-of/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Neither my mom nor my dad ever bought me any comic books. Certainly not for Christmas. I suspect that doing so would have violated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/neither-my-mom-nor-my-dad-ever-bought-me-any-comic-books-certainly/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [For me, the two weeks between Christmas and Twelfth Night have come to be reserved for desultory reading. The pressure of the holiday is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/for-me-the-two-weeks-between-christmas-and-twelfth-night-have-come-to/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I've always liked an easygoing, colloquial style. I like the kind of reviewer who is essentially a fellow reader, an enthusiast, a fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/i-ve-always-liked-an-easygoing-colloquial-style-i-like-the-kind-of/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) [Explore all 131 Michael Dirda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' 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