--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I only wrote one diary to be read by…" description: "\"I only wrote one diary to be read by others. I went on an exchange to France, working as an au pair, when I was 14 and in a battered red notebook I wro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/sheila-hancock-5465_diary_i-only-wrote-one-diary-to-be-read-by-oth_3179111.png" --- # I only wrote one diary to be read by others. I went on an… ![“I only wrote one diary to be read by others. I went on an exchange to France, working as an au pair, when I was 14 and in a battered red notebook I wrote my experiences for my father to read later.” quote by Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/sheila-hancock-5465_diary_i-only-wrote-one-diary-to-be-read-by-oth_3179111.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/sheila-hancock-5465_diary_i-only-wrote-one-diary-to-be-read-by-oth_3179111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/sheila-hancock-5465_diary_i-only-wrote-one-diary-to-be-read-by-oth_3179111.png) > “I only wrote one diary to be read by others. I went on an exchange to France, working as an au pair, when I was 14 and in a battered red notebook I wrote my experiences for my father to read later.” [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer kept a diary intended for others, documenting experiences for future sharing with family. **In simple terms:** A diary written for others to read later. Key Takeaway Share personal experiences through writing. Themes memory family writing Mood reflective nostalgic Type personal memoir When to use this quote - au pair exchange - family storytelling - cultural immersion Key Concepts personal narrative intergenerational communication Questions to Reflect On - How does audience awareness shape personal writing? - What value does sharing past experiences bring? A Different Perspective May limit authenticity if written for an audience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Diary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) ## Related quotes > [I got out this diary, & read as one always does read one's own writing, with a kind of guilty intensity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-got-out-this-diary-read-as-one-always-does-read-one-s-own-writing/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I got out this diary and read, as one always reads one's own writing; with a kind of guilty intensity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-got-out-this-diary-and-read-as-one-always-reads-one-s-own-writing/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The number-one rule of writing is write what you know--or something like that. 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That’s what Louis XVI wrote in his diary on the day of the storming of the Bastille.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/aujourd-hui-rien-that-s-what-louis-xvi-wrote-in-his-diary-on-the-day/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [“Richard wrote a diary entry in his head. Dear Diary, he began. On Friday I had a job, a fiancée, a home, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/richard-wrote-a-diary-entry-in-his-head-dear-diary-he-began-on-friday/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They couldn't talk. They were not good talkers, either of them. 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But I always knew that there would be those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lucky-that-i-have-recorded-my-memories-in-some-more-lasting-way-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“i loved the freedom writers diary and even though i only read it because my teacher made us i loved the book. it shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-gruwell/i-loved-the-freedom-writers-diary-and-even-though-i-only-read-it/) [Erin Gruwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-gruwell/) > [“Patton wrote in his diary on April 15th, the morning after his departure from II Corps: “War is very simple, direct and ruthless. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ladislas-farago/patton-wrote-in-his-diary-on-april-15th-the-morning-after-his/) [Ladislas Farago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ladislas-farago/) > [“and declining all efforts at closeness or intimacy. “James just doesn’t seem to want me,” I wrote in my diary. “Bastard, I hate him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/and-declining-all-efforts-at-closeness-or-intimacy-james-just-doesn-t/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [“Emma saw in her night dreams that she was creating a reality: she took some visual components, having combined them with a little live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahara-sanders/emma-saw-in-her-night-dreams-that-she-was-creating-a-reality-she-took/) [Sahara Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahara-sanders/) > [“On May 5, 1896, he wrote in his diary; “I have no longer anything to say; everything is alike in its horrible cruelty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/on-may-5-1896-he-wrote-in-his-diary-i-have-no-longer-anything-to-say/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) ## More by Sheila Hancock > [I was this sort of floozy in 'The Rag Trade,' and 'Mr Digby Darling,' and 'Now, Take My Wife' - the titles say it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/i-was-this-sort-of-floozy-in-the-rag-trade-and-mr-digby-darling-and/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [You're never going to get 2,400 people a night for a play. I'm sorry, you really aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/you-re-never-going-to-get-2-400-people-a-night-for-a-play-i-m-sorry/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [I can't think of anybody among the greats who isn't constantly looking at themselves and feeling dissatisfied. You're greedy in this business: always wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/i-can-t-think-of-anybody-among-the-greats-who-isn-t-constantly/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [On 'The X Factor,' they deliberately have people on that are awful just to laugh at them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/on-the-x-factor-they-deliberately-have-people-on-that-are-awful-just/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [My new catchphrase is: 'Pull yourself together.' I've done the inner child, I've had analysis, I've decided that unless you're mentally ill and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/my-new-catchphrase-is-pull-yourself-together-i-ve-done-the-inner/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [In the old days I'd like to have been a politician, when I think the world was more idealistic. When I was young I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/in-the-old-days-i-d-like-to-have-been-a-politician-when-i-think-the/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [There isn't a carer in the world who doesn't say, 'I hate it. My life is being ruined. I didn't see my life like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/there-isn-t-a-carer-in-the-world-who-doesn-t-say-i-hate-it-my-life-is/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [I was struck during the Brexit debate by how little discussion there was about the origins of the concept of a united Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/i-was-struck-during-the-brexit-debate-by-how-little-discussion-there/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [I have never met anybody who can change their point of view as easily as me. It's profoundly embarrassing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/i-have-never-met-anybody-who-can-change-their-point-of-view-as-easily/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [I cannot pass by seeing a child shouted at, and people dropping litter. I'm terrible for intervening. There's nothing worse than busybodies like me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/i-cannot-pass-by-seeing-a-child-shouted-at-and-people-dropping-litter/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [I don't want my daughters reading about the day I was furious with one of them and said something horrible, that I didn't mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/i-don-t-want-my-daughters-reading-about-the-day-i-was-furious-with/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [I can't do solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/i-can-t-do-solitude/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [Mindful that it's running out, I am determined to have the time of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/mindful-that-it-s-running-out-i-am-determined-to-have-the-time-of-my/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [I can't keep my trap shut in interviews - I'm not very good at dissembling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/i-can-t-keep-my-trap-shut-in-interviews-i-m-not-very-good-at/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) > [There's an incredibly grand attitude towards musicals. I don't understand why my profession is so snooty about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-hancock/there-s-an-incredibly-grand-attitude-towards-musicals-i-don-t/) [Sheila Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) [Explore all 100 Sheila Hancock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-hancock/) ## More Diary quotes > [I don't want to be singing my diary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-jones/i-don-t-want-to-be-singing-my-diary/) [Norah Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-jones/) > [“What a vast fertility of pleasure books hold for me! (...) I think I could happily live here & read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“The platonic love I feel for my cousin, made me write this diary ...” Leione”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pet-torres/the-platonic-love-i-feel-for-my-cousin-made-me-write-this-diary-leione/) [Pet Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pet-torres/) > [“All right, you caught me. I'm secretly obsessed with you and spend all my free time writing about you in my journal. 'Dear Diary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-scott/all-right-you-caught-me-i-m-secretly-obsessed-with-you-and-spend-all/) [Elizabeth Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-scott/) > [I'm so open to different things. The only thing I'd say is I've set the bar pretty high in terms of good female roles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bel-powley/i-m-so-open-to-different-things-the-only-thing-i-d-say-is-i-ve-set/) [Bel Powley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bel-powley/) > ["The diary, "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes - how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-riddle/the-diary-my-diary-little-ginny-s-been-writing-in-it-for-months-and/) [Tom Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-riddle/) > [A man's diary is a record in youth of his sentiments, in middle age of his actions, in old age of his reflections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/a-man-s-diary-is-a-record-in-youth-of-his-sentiments-in-middle-age-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [I'm never without my personalised Anya Hindmarch diary - I keep my schedule online, too, but my diary is always in my bag. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aerin-lauder/i-m-never-without-my-personalised-anya-hindmarch-diary-i-keep-my/) [Aerin Lauder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aerin-lauder/) > [I keep a diary - one for each film and foreign land I travel to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/i-keep-a-diary-one-for-each-film-and-foreign-land-i-travel-to/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [Don't read my diary when I'm gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/don-t-read-my-diary-when-i-m-gone/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I keep a diary because I love this writer, David Sedaris, and he writes a lot about his diary, and he inspired me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-hawke/i-keep-a-diary-because-i-love-this-writer-david-sedaris-and-he-writes/) [Maya Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-hawke/) > [Memory is the diary that chronicles things that never happened or couldn't possibly have happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/memory-is-the-diary-that-chronicles-things-that-never-happened-or/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“What will become of me? 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When I travel, I routinely find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-need-a-moment-of-time-for-myself-every-day-like-a-child-playing/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) [Browse all 453 Diary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I only wrote one diary to be read by others. 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