--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't deny 'Fleabag''s a very personal…" description: "\"I can't deny 'Fleabag''s a very personal piece, but it's not autobiographical.\" — Phoebe Waller-Bridge" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_autobiographical_i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-p_1416645.jpg" --- # I can't deny 'Fleabag''s a very personal piece, but it's… ![“I can't deny 'Fleabag''s a very personal piece, but it's not autobiographical.” quote by Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_autobiographical_i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-p_1416645.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_autobiographical_i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-p_1416645.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_autobiographical_i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-p_1416645.jpg) > “I can't deny 'Fleabag''s a very personal piece, but it's not autobiographical.” [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The work is deeply personal yet not a literal autobiography. **In simple terms:** Fleabag is personal, not autobiographical. Key Takeaway Separate art from artist’s life. Themes media autobiography creativity Mood introspective analytical Type critical creative When to use this quote - interviews - critical essays - creative workshops - fan discussions Key Concepts self‑expression fiction vs reality artistic license Questions to Reflect On - How does personal experience shape art? - When is it okay to blur fact and fiction? A Different Perspective Audiences may conflate creator with creation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiographical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographical/) [Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal/) ## Related quotes > [The main relationship in the whole series was the one between the camera and Fleabag. I had to convince myself that whoever was watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/the-main-relationship-in-the-whole-series-was-the-one-between-the/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I'd like to think Fleabag's honesty makes her heroic in spite of her actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-d-like-to-think-fleabag-s-honesty-makes-her-heroic-in-spite-of-her/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [The real love story of 'Fleabag' is the sisters. That's the true heart of the piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sian-clifford/the-real-love-story-of-fleabag-is-the-sisters-that-s-the-true-heart/) [Sian Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sian-clifford/) > [I really love 'Fleabag.' I've been harassing my agents, like, 'Can you please get me a meeting with Phoebe Waller-Bridge?' I just want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-woods/i-really-love-fleabag-i-ve-been-harassing-my-agents-like-can-you/) [Zach Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-woods/) > [Fleabag' is its own genre. It isn't comedy. It isn't drama. It isn't even tragi-comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sian-clifford/fleabag-is-its-own-genre-it-isn-t-comedy-it-isn-t-drama-it-isn-t-even/) [Sian Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sian-clifford/) > [Andrew Scott and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in 'Fleabag' were such a brilliant pairing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-coughlan/andrew-scott-and-phoebe-waller-bridge-in-fleabag-were-such-a/) [Nicola Coughlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-coughlan/) > [That was life-changing for me. 'Fleabag' was huge on both sides of the Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-demetriou/that-was-life-changing-for-me-fleabag-was-huge-on-both-sides-of-the/) [Jamie Demetriou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-demetriou/) > [Fleabag' is genius: there's something so brave about a character voicing what we're all thinking but are too embarrassed to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-jones/fleabag-is-genius-there-s-something-so-brave-about-a-character/) [Ruth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-jones/) > [What's that one that people seem to like so much? 'Fleabag.' I watched that and it was that sort of Oxbridge 'Oh, I'm so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-reeves/what-s-that-one-that-people-seem-to-like-so-much-fleabag-i-watched/) [Vic Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-reeves/) > [The only reason you would hate to be compared to 'Fleabag' is if you were said to be 'not as good as Fleabag'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-pascoe/the-only-reason-you-would-hate-to-be-compared-to-fleabag-is-if-you/) [Sara Pascoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-pascoe/) > [A lot of people were asking me for 'Fleabag,' but that's not what I wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-victor/a-lot-of-people-were-asking-me-for-fleabag-but-that-s-not-what-i/) [Eva Victor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-victor/) > [Of necessity, the autobiographical self is not just about one individual but about all the others that an individual interacts with. Of necessity, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/of-necessity-the-autobiographical-self-is-not-just-about-one/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Race as a subject only comes about because of what I look like. If I say something truthfully, people say "Oh, she's so angry."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/race-as-a-subject-only-comes-about-because-of-what-i-look-like-if-i/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [I'm always saying that my books are not autobiographical because they're not. I can't choose any one scene and say, 'Oh, this is exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-von-ziegesar/i-m-always-saying-that-my-books-are-not-autobiographical-because-they/) [Cecily von Ziegesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-von-ziegesar/) > [“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/) ## More by Phoebe Waller-Bridge > [I am comfortable talking about sex scenes and stuff, but to me, when it's physically explicit, I do feel prudish and uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-am-comfortable-talking-about-sex-scenes-and-stuff-but-to-me-when-it/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I think there's something funny about people who laugh in the face of convention or surprise us morally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-think-there-s-something-funny-about-people-who-laugh-in-the-face-of/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I'll never get bored of seeing flawed women on the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-ll-never-get-bored-of-seeing-flawed-women-on-the-screen/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [Fleabag knows men and women are equal and should be treated as such, but what she's confused about - and what I was confused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/fleabag-knows-men-and-women-are-equal-and-should-be-treated-as-such/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I feel like my home is stage acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-feel-like-my-home-is-stage-acting/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I just kind of like to feel myself into stuff by writing scenes and seeing what characters end up saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-just-kind-of-like-to-feel-myself-into-stuff-by-writing-scenes-and/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I just find all that stuff incredibly funny. I love a fart. I'd do anything for a good poo story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-just-find-all-that-stuff-incredibly-funny-i-love-a-fart-i-d-do/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [Women know what they're doing all the time, and they're pretending that they don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/women-know-what-they-re-doing-all-the-time-and-they-re-pretending/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I suppose the cult of the strong woman character on TV has probably been misinterpreted in so many different ways, meaning that a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-suppose-the-cult-of-the-strong-woman-character-on-tv-has-probably/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [Actually, my worst nightmare is losing my best friend, as I imagine most people's are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/actually-my-worst-nightmare-is-losing-my-best-friend-as-i-imagine/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I'm just constantly on the verge of bursting into tears with joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-m-just-constantly-on-the-verge-of-bursting-into-tears-with-joy/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [The main relationship in the whole series was the one between the camera and Fleabag. I had to convince myself that whoever was watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/the-main-relationship-in-the-whole-series-was-the-one-between-the/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [This world of 'Star Wars' is just so accepting and beautiful that the idea a droid and a human are trying to waddle their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/this-world-of-star-wars-is-just-so-accepting-and-beautiful-that-the/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I always knew that if I was ever going to perform something that I wrote in front of an audience, I was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-always-knew-that-if-i-was-ever-going-to-perform-something-that-i/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [I'd go so far as to say I was bullied into writing, but sometimes you need that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-d-go-so-far-as-to-say-i-was-bullied-into-writing-but-sometimes-you/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) [Explore all 84 Phoebe Waller-Bridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) ## More Autobiographical quotes > [“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/) > [I'm always saying that my books are not autobiographical because they're not. I can't choose any one scene and say, 'Oh, this is exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-von-ziegesar/i-m-always-saying-that-my-books-are-not-autobiographical-because-they/) [Cecily von Ziegesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-von-ziegesar/) > [Race as a subject only comes about because of what I look like. If I say something truthfully, people say "Oh, she's so angry."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/race-as-a-subject-only-comes-about-because-of-what-i-look-like-if-i/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [Of necessity, the autobiographical self is not just about one individual but about all the others that an individual interacts with. Of necessity, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/of-necessity-the-autobiographical-self-is-not-just-about-one/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Because of the wonderfully positive response to 'Life's That Way,' I am considering writing some more autobiographical stuff - maybe another book. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-response-to-life-s-that-way-i-am/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [I occasionally experience the discomfort of people assuming my work is autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/i-occasionally-experience-the-discomfort-of-people-assuming-my-work/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Autobiographical comics, I love them. I love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/autobiographical-comics-i-love-them-i-love-them/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [It's actually easier to do autobiographical stories. The story is already there. It's a matter of carving away what doesn't fit rather than building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-thompson/it-s-actually-easier-to-do-autobiographical-stories-the-story-is/) [Craig Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-thompson/) > [My books aren't autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/my-books-aren-t-autobiographical/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Attempting to express a person’s objective reality and subjective state of mind with the written word is an endless task because writing alters our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/attempting-to-express-a-person-s-objective-reality-and-subjective/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [Memoir is actually the most egoless genre, even though it might seem ostensibly so much ego-driven. In order for it to succeed, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/memoir-is-actually-the-most-egoless-genre-even-though-it-might-seem/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [I'm not an autobiographical writer, but I am a writer who deals with human emotion on all levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-an-autobiographical-writer-but-i-am-a-writer-who-deals-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“is a little remarkable, that—though disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside, and to my personal friends—an autobiographical impulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/is-a-little-remarkable-that-though-disinclined-to-talk-overmuch-of/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There certainly is no secret in that there are plenty of people who don't like plenty of my movies. Each one of my films…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/there-certainly-is-no-secret-in-that-there-are-plenty-of-people-who/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > ['Normal' is not clinical, it's not autobiographical, and I don't claim to be objective. It's strictly my perceptions and thoughts about the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/normal-is-not-clinical-it-s-not-autobiographical-and-i-don-t-claim-to/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) [Browse all 202 Autobiographical quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographical/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't deny 'Fleabag''s a very personal piece, but it's not autobiographical.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Phoebe Waller-Bridge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-piece-but-it-s-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autobiographical" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-piece-but-it-s-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_autobiographical_i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-p_1416645.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_autobiographical_i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-p_1416645.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_autobiographical_i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-p_1416645.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can't deny 'Fleabag''s a very personal piece, but it's not autobiographical.” — Phoebe Waller-Bridge", "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": "Phoebe Waller-Bridge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can't deny 'Fleabag''s a very...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-piece-but-it-s-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-can-t-deny-fleabag-s-a-very-personal-piece-but-it-s-not/#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 } } ] } ```