---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think anyone should write their…"
description: "\"I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead.\" — Samuel Goldwyn"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/samuel-goldwyn-3156_autobiography_i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their_2595148.jpg"
---

#  I don't think anyone should write their autobiography…

![“I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead.” quote by Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/samuel-goldwyn-3156_autobiography_i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their_2595148.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/samuel-goldwyn-3156_autobiography_i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their_2595148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/samuel-goldwyn-3156_autobiography_i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their_2595148.jpg)

> “I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead.”

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

## 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 most authentic when written after death, as living life can bias self‑portrayal.

**In simple terms:** Writing life stories after death avoids bias.

Key Takeaway

Consider posthumous perspective.

Themes

memory legacy self‑reflection writing

Mood

thoughtful nostalgic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- memoir writing
- historical accounts
- family histories

Key Concepts

subjectivity narrative truth mortality

Questions to Reflect On

- What truths might a living author miss?
- How does mortality shape storytelling?

A Different Perspective

Living authors may lack full perspective.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Autobiography Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography-dead-1895283/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Think Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-write/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-autobiography/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [One of the most attractive things about writing your autobiography is that you're not dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-barbera/one-of-the-most-attractive-things-about-writing-your-autobiography-is/)

[Joseph Barbera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-barbera/)

> [I shall never write an autobiography, I'm much too jealous of my privacy for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-shall-never-write-an-autobiography-i-m-much-too-jealous-of-my/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [One puts off the biography like you put off death. To write an autobiography is to etch the words on your own gravestone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/one-puts-off-the-biography-like-you-put-off-death-to-write-an/)

[Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/)

> [When I write my autobiography after 20-25 years, I want 2014 to be the weakest year of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-nadiadwala/when-i-write-my-autobiography-after-20-25-years-i-want-2014-to-be-the/)

[Sajid Nadiadwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-nadiadwala/)

> [When you write an autobiography, it has to be authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/when-you-write-an-autobiography-it-has-to-be-authentic/)

[Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/)

> [I never thought I would write an autobiography, probably because my first novel, Go Now, is really all drawn from my life, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hell/i-never-thought-i-would-write-an-autobiography-probably-because-my/)

[Richard Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hell/)

> [You write an autobiography because you want to tell people how you felt about a certain matter at that time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-hatton/you-write-an-autobiography-because-you-want-to-tell-people-how-you/)

[Ricky Hatton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-hatton/)

> [There may be a point where I may decide to write an autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-may-be-a-point-where-i-may-decide-to-write-an-autobiography/)

[Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/)

> [My mother always said that everyone should be required to write an autobiography of their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-keaton/my-mother-always-said-that-everyone-should-be-required-to-write-an/)

[Diane Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-keaton/)

> [I've been asked to write an autobiography, and I've started it a couple of times, on different angles, and maybe one day I will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-saxon/i-ve-been-asked-to-write-an-autobiography-and-i-ve-started-it-a/)

[John Saxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-saxon/)

> [I don't want to write an autobiography because I would become public property with no privacy left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-don-t-want-to-write-an-autobiography-because-i-would-become-public/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [I've been asked to write my autobiography and really they only want 8 years (1962-1970), and I keep saying it would be five volumes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/i-ve-been-asked-to-write-my-autobiography-and-really-they-only-want-8/)

[Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

## More by Samuel Goldwyn

> [If I were in this business only for the business, I wouldn't be in this business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/if-i-were-in-this-business-only-for-the-business-i-wouldn-t-be-in/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [If I look confused it is because I am thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/if-i-look-confused-it-is-because-i-am-thinking/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [Don't worry about the war. It's all over but the shooting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/don-t-worry-about-the-war-it-s-all-over-but-the-shooting/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [Having integrity...means being completely true to what is inside you - to what you know is right...what you feel you must do, regardless of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/having-integrity-means-being-completely-true-to-what-is-inside-you-to/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [For your information, I would like to ask a question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/for-your-information-i-would-like-to-ask-a-question/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [Don't pay any attention to the critics - don't even ignore them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/don-t-pay-any-attention-to-the-critics-don-t-even-ignore-them/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [I never liked you, and I always will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/i-never-liked-you-and-i-always-will/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [They stayed away in droves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/they-stayed-away-in-droves/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [Television has raised writing to a new low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/television-has-raised-writing-to-a-new-low/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [I never put on a pair of shoes until I've worn them at least five years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/i-never-put-on-a-pair-of-shoes-until-i-ve-worn-them-at-least-five/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [Include me out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/include-me-out/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [ \[when asked by his secretary if she should destroy all files that were over ten years old\] Yes, but keep copies. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/when-asked-by-his-secretary-if-she-should-destroy-all-files-that-were/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [A Hospital isn't any place to end up being sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/a-hospital-isn-t-any-place-to-end-up-being-sick/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [Too caustic? To hell with the costs, we'll make the picture anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/too-caustic-to-hell-with-the-costs-we-ll-make-the-picture-anyway/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [Modern dancing is old fashioned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/modern-dancing-is-old-fashioned/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

[Explore all 138 Samuel Goldwyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

## 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": "I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Samuel Goldwyn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their-autobiography-until-after/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Autobiography"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their-autobiography-until-after/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/samuel-goldwyn-3156_autobiography_i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their_2595148.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/samuel-goldwyn-3156_autobiography_i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their_2595148.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/175/samuel-goldwyn-3156_autobiography_i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their_2595148.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead.” — Samuel Goldwyn",
                "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": "Samuel Goldwyn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't think anyone should write...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their-autobiography-until-after/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/i-don-t-think-anyone-should-write-their-autobiography-until-after/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```