--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was young and easily outraged, I…" description: "\"When I was young and easily outraged, I would be upset when every fictional character I created was somehow reduced to 'autobiography.'\" — Peter Carey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/peter-carey-4293_autobiography_when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-w_714705.png" --- # When I was young and easily outraged, I would be upset… ![“When I was young and easily outraged, I would be upset when every fictional character I created was somehow reduced to 'autobiography.'” quote by Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/peter-carey-4293_autobiography_when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-w_714705.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/peter-carey-4293_autobiography_when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-w_714705.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/peter-carey-4293_autobiography_when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-w_714705.png) > “When I was young and easily outraged, I would be upset when every fictional character I created was somehow reduced to 'autobiography.'” [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) ## 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 feels frustration when personal experiences dominate the interpretation of his fictional work. **In simple terms:** Frustrated when readers see his stories as autobiographical. Key Takeaway Separate creator intent from audience perception. Themes creativity autobiography interpretation Mood reflective conciliatory Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - literary criticism - writing workshops - public talks Key Concepts authorial intent reader response Questions to Reflect On - How much should author background inform reading? - Can fiction stand apart from its creator? A Different Perspective Readers may find personal meaning valuable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Easily Outraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easily-outraged-5629364/) [Fictional character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictional-character/) [Outraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outraged/) [Outraged Upset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outraged-upset-5629366/) [Reduced Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reduced-autobiography-5629365/) [Upset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upset/) [Upset Fictional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upset-fictional-5629363/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [There are things you can say in the voice of a fictional character that you could not explore any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/contrapoints/there-are-things-you-can-say-in-the-voice-of-a-fictional-character/) [ContraPoints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/contrapoints/) > [“On some deep, unconscious level, he had always known it to be true. He was an invention, a fictional character. Jacob Lightfoot didn't exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-sant/on-some-deep-unconscious-level-he-had-always-known-it-to-be-true-he/) [Sharon Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-sant/) > [“Meaning, yes -- I don't really exist except on the page or in the back of your brain. But if you think it's weird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-michel-sullivan/meaning-yes-i-don-t-really-exist-except-on-the-page-or-in-the-back-of/) [Kyle Michel Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-michel-sullivan/) > [There is no cure for fictional character love, but the plus side is that it is an entirely benign disease with no bad side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/there-is-no-cure-for-fictional-character-love-but-the-plus-side-is/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“She was so plain. Would it kill you to wear skirts more, he had said to her. Would it really hurt you? He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-sefton/she-was-so-plain-would-it-kill-you-to-wear-skirts-more-he-had-said-to/) [Meg Sefton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-sefton/) > [“When Pat gave her ‘criminal-hero’ Tom Ripley a charmed and parentless life, a wealthy, socially poised Alter Ego (Dickie Greenleaf), and a guilt-free modus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/when-pat-gave-her-criminal-hero-tom-ripley-a-charmed-and-parentless/) [Joan Schenkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/) > [As soon as I started reading, I found myself drawn to fictional character's homes as much as I was to the characters themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-andrews/as-soon-as-i-started-reading-i-found-myself-drawn-to-fictional/) [Mary Kay Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-andrews/) > [“ Okay, this is a fictional character," Lily began. "And he's like a human." "What?" Adam asked her, looking befuddled. "What the fuck does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-m-silber/okay-this-is-a-fictional-character-lily-began-and-he-s-like-a-human/) [N.M. Silber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-m-silber/) > [Writers are magpies, and we collect details about people and we use them for fictional characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-leavitt/writers-are-magpies-and-we-collect-details-about-people-and-we-use/) [Caroline Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-leavitt/) > [ \[I am more than happy to invite my five favorite fictional characters.\]Roland Deschain from Stephen King's Dark Tower series. There's a whole world about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-am-more-than-happy-to-invite-my-five-favorite-fictional-characters/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [As far as I am concerned, Don Quixote is the most metal fictional character that I know. Single handed, he is trying to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/as-far-as-i-am-concerned-don-quixote-is-the-most-metal-fictional/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [I basically enjoy doing films that are about something, that have complex roles that I can sink my teeth into. Basically, I gravitate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-basically-enjoy-doing-films-that-are-about-something-that-have/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [When you're playing a fictional character reacting to the real world, it's incredibly difficult and confusing and kind of messes with your values a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/when-you-re-playing-a-fictional-character-reacting-to-the-real-world/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > [“When you “lose yourself” inside the world of a fictional character while reading a story, you may actually end up changing your own behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-marselle/when-you-lose-yourself-inside-the-world-of-a-fictional-character/) [Terry Marselle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-marselle/) > [“The reign of tears is over,” proclaimed evangelist Billy Sunday in Virginia, during a mock funeral for John Barelycorn, a fictional character and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/the-reign-of-tears-is-over-proclaimed-evangelist-billy-sunday-in/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) ## More by Peter Carey > [“I have traveled widely. I have seen this country in its infancy. I tell you what it will become. The public squares will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-have-traveled-widely-i-have-seen-this-country-in-its-infancy-i-tell/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [At the very end of a book I can manage to work for longer stretches, but mostly, making stuff up for three hours, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/at-the-very-end-of-a-book-i-can-manage-to-work-for-longer-stretches/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [Being famous as a writer is like being famous in a village. It's not really any very heady fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/being-famous-as-a-writer-is-like-being-famous-in-a-village-it-s-not/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [It's not like I've got 100 ideas. I finish a book, and I've got none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/it-s-not-like-i-ve-got-100-ideas-i-finish-a-book-and-i-ve-got-none/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Remember, this is the country of the duck-billed platypus. When you are cut off from the rest of the world, things are bound to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/remember-this-is-the-country-of-the-duck-billed-platypus-when-you-are/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [Australia is my lens. I cannot see the world any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/australia-is-my-lens-i-cannot-see-the-world-any-other-way/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [If you ever read one of my books I hope you'll think it looks so easy. In fact, I wrote those chapters 20 times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/if-you-ever-read-one-of-my-books-i-hope-you-ll-think-it-looks-so-easy/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I had known loneliness before, and emptiness upon the moor, but I had never been a NOTHING, a nothing floating on a nothing, known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-had-known-loneliness-before-and-emptiness-upon-the-moor-but-i-had/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I did not know that history is like a blood stain that keeps on showing on the wall no matter how many new owners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-did-not-know-that-history-is-like-a-blood-stain-that-keeps-on/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I think that thing about the destruction of the world is there all the time, it's there every day when we look out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-think-that-thing-about-the-destruction-of-the-world-is-there-all/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Your American, you wouldn't know if you were up yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/your-american-you-wouldn-t-know-if-you-were-up-yourself/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“He were still smiling but his voice were hard as a spoon rattling in a metal cup.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/he-were-still-smiling-but-his-voice-were-hard-as-a-spoon-rattling-in/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Would you rather have the lords and nobles back? What is Democracy for? Not so we can rob each other. Or cheat.' I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/would-you-rather-have-the-lords-and-nobles-back-what-is-democracy-for/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“7. Some Theories that Arose at the Time 1. The world is merely a dream dreamt by god who is waking after a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/7-some-theories-that-arose-at-the-time-1-the-world-is-merely-a-dream/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I'm always the one with the activist friends. I've been an activist very little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-m-always-the-one-with-the-activist-friends-i-ve-been-an-activist/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) [Explore all 113 Peter Carey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "When I was young and easily outraged, I would be upset when every fictional character I created was somehow reduced to 'autobiography.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Carey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-would-be-upset-when-every/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autobiography" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-would-be-upset-when-every/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/peter-carey-4293_autobiography_when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-w_714705.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/peter-carey-4293_autobiography_when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-w_714705.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/peter-carey-4293_autobiography_when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-w_714705.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was young and easily outraged, I would be upset when every fictional character I created was somehow…” — Peter Carey", "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": "Peter Carey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was young and easily...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-would-be-upset-when-every/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/when-i-was-young-and-easily-outraged-i-would-be-upset-when-every/#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 } } ] } ```