--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All good biography, as all good fiction…" description: "\"All good biography, as all good fiction, comes down to the study of original sin, of our inherent disposition to choose death when we ought to choose l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/rebecca-west-1248_biographies_all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-c_2598085.jpg" --- # All good biography, as all good fiction, comes down to the… ![“All good biography, as all good fiction, comes down to the study of original sin, of our inherent disposition to choose death when we ought to choose life.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/rebecca-west-1248_biographies_all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-c_2598085.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/rebecca-west-1248_biographies_all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-c_2598085.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/rebecca-west-1248_biographies_all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-c_2598085.jpg) > “All good biography, as all good fiction, comes down to the study of original sin, of our inherent disposition to choose death when we ought to choose life.” [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Both biography and fiction explore original sin, the human tendency to choose death over life. **In simple terms:** Human nature often prefers death to life. Key Takeaway Recognize the pull of self‑destructive choices. Themes human nature choice life death original sin Mood thoughtful critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - counseling - creative writing - philosophical debate - theology Key Concepts existentialism psychology literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - What drives self‑destructive decisions? - How can narratives inspire life‑affirming choices? A Different Perspective Focusing on sin may overlook redemption. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choose life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-life/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Good life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Original sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-sin/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) ## Related quotes > [There was never a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn't be. He is too many people if he's any good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/there-was-never-a-good-biography-of-a-good-novelist-there-couldn-t-be/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [You ought to choose both physician and friend, not the most agreeable, but the most useful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/you-ought-to-choose-both-physician-and-friend-not-the-most-agreeable/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Those who wish well to the State ought to choose to places of trust men of inward principle, justified by exemplary conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-witherspoon/those-who-wish-well-to-the-state-ought-to-choose-to-places-of-trust/) [John Witherspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-witherspoon/) > [“Again, it is for the sake of the soul that goods external and goods of the body are eligible at all, and all wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/again-it-is-for-the-sake-of-the-soul-that-goods-external-and-goods-of/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Our physical illnesses serve us for medicines to purge us from worldly affections and retrench what is superfluous in us, and since they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medicines-to-purge-us-from/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“Life is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun inexorably rises and sets, and one day, for each of us, the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/life-is-tragic-simply-because-the-earth-turns-and-the-sun-inexorably-2/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“He would never want to diminish that event, that blow. It was nothing less than a calamity. It has shrunk his world, turned him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/he-would-never-want-to-diminish-that-event-that-blow-it-was-nothing/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“Consider the death of the body in terms of God and His law. Your life, the life within you, encompasses everything within itself --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/consider-the-death-of-the-body-in-terms-of-god-and-his-law-your-life/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [It seems to me that one ought to rejoice in the fact of death-- ought to decide, indeed, to earn one's death by confronting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-seems-to-me-that-one-ought-to-rejoice-in-the-fact-of-death-ought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/perhaps-the-whole-root-of-our-trouble-the-human-trouble-is-that-we-2/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [“Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/perhaps-the-whole-root-of-our-trouble-the-human-trouble-is-that-we/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [Both marriage and death ought to be welcome: the one promises happiness, doubtless the other assures it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/both-marriage-and-death-ought-to-be-welcome-the-one-promises/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“A simpler form of the same objection consists in saying that death ought not to be final, that there ought to be a second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/a-simpler-form-of-the-same-objection-consists-in-saying-that-death/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Trayvon Martin’s killing touches on something universal. His death ought to make us look at ourselves and be honest: we need to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-k-fallon/trayvon-martin-s-killing-touches-on-something-universal-his-death/) [Peter K. Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-k-fallon/) > [“Good fiction makes the truth believable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarrant-smith/good-fiction-makes-the-truth-believable/) Tarrant Smith ## More by Rebecca West > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“There is, of course, no reason for the existence of the male sex except that sometimes one needs help with moving the piano.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-of-course-no-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-male-sex-except/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“At the top of a hill our automobile stuck in a snowdrift. Peasants ran out of a cottage near by, shouting with laughter because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/at-the-top-of-a-hill-our-automobile-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-peasants-ran/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [We all drew on the comfort which is given out by the major works of Mozart, which is as real and material as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/we-all-drew-on-the-comfort-which-is-given-out-by-the-major-works-of/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Christianity must be regarded not as a final revelation but as a phase of revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/christianity-must-be-regarded-not-as-a-final-revelation-but-as-a/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Art and propaganda have this much connection, that if a propaganda makes art impossible, it is clearly damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/art-and-propaganda-have-this-much-connection-that-if-a-propaganda/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The American struggle for the vote was much more difficult than the English for the simple reason that it was much more easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-american-struggle-for-the-vote-was-much-more-difficult-than-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ Like all bad drivers, he \[Henry Andrews\] thought he was the best driver in the world... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/like-all-bad-drivers-he-henry-andrews-thought-he-was-the-best-driver/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The childhood of the individual and the race is full of fears, and panic-stricken attempts to avert what is feared by placating the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-childhood-of-the-individual-and-the-race-is-full-of-fears-and/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Humanity is never more sphinxlike than when it is expressing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/humanity-is-never-more-sphinxlike-than-when-it-is-expressing-itself/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [a good oyster cannot please the palate as acutely as a bad one can revolt it, and a good oyster cannot make him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-good-oyster-cannot-please-the-palate-as-acutely-as-a-bad-one-can/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or stand up to Him. I often have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-there-is-a-god-i-don-t-think-he-would-demand-that-anyone-bow-down/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/any-authentic-work-of-art-must-start-an-argument-between-the-artist/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-has-never-been-a-period-in-history-when-there-have-been/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) [Explore all 264 Rebecca West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## More Biographies quotes > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/) [Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/) > [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [All Philosophy is Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/all-philosophy-is-biography/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/life-is-a-biography-not-a-series-of-disconnected-moments-more-or-less/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/) [Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/) > [The richly cadenced prose is hypnotic, the research prodigious, the analysis acute, the mood spellbinding, and the cast of characters mythic in scale. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-richly-cadenced-prose-is-hypnotic-the-research-prodigious-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I don't want to say that most rock bands live these formulaic biography existences - but they kinda do. There's always a divorce. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-don-t-want-to-say-that-most-rock-bands-live-these-formulaic/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [It can be a long gap between the emergence of fully researched historical biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-fraser/it-can-be-a-long-gap-between-the-emergence-of-fully-researched/) [Antonia Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-fraser/) > [Always live your life with your biography in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/always-live-your-life-with-your-biography-in-mind/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) Browse all 587 Biographies quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All good biography, as all good fiction, comes down to the study of original sin, of our inherent disposition to choose death when we ought to choose life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-comes-down-to-the-study-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biographies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-comes-down-to-the-study-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/rebecca-west-1248_biographies_all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-c_2598085.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/rebecca-west-1248_biographies_all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-c_2598085.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/rebecca-west-1248_biographies_all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-c_2598085.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All good biography, as all good fiction, comes down to the study of original sin, of our inherent…” — Rebecca West", "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": "Rebecca West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All good biography, as all good...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-comes-down-to-the-study-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/all-good-biography-as-all-good-fiction-comes-down-to-the-study-of/#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 } } ] } ```