--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't stand these autobiographies that…" description: "\"I can't stand these autobiographies that start with, you know, 'I was born in Acton, and I went to such and such a school.' They just bore me.\" — Viv A..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/viv-albertine-5176_autobiographies_i-can-t-stand-these-autobiographies-that_3109262.jpg" --- # I can't stand these autobiographies that start with, you… ![“I can't stand these autobiographies that start with, you know, 'I was born in Acton, and I went to such and such a school.' They just bore me.” quote by Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/viv-albertine-5176_autobiographies_i-can-t-stand-these-autobiographies-that_3109262.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/viv-albertine-5176_autobiographies_i-can-t-stand-these-autobiographies-that_3109262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/viv-albertine-5176_autobiographies_i-can-t-stand-these-autobiographies-that_3109262.jpg) > “I can't stand these autobiographies that start with, you know, 'I was born in Acton, and I went to such and such a school.' They just bore me.” [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Autobiographies that start with mundane origins feel dull, lacking engaging narrative hooks. **In simple terms:** Avoid boring beginnings. Key Takeaway Begin with compelling stories. Themes writing authenticity engagement Mood critical reflective Type analytical motivational When to use this quote - memoir writing - journalism - creative nonfiction Key Concepts narrative structure personal voice Questions to Reflect On - How can you hook readers early? - What makes a personal story compelling? A Different Perspective Some readers prefer factual context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographies/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [There is a part of me in every character, naturally. That's why novelists rarely write good autobiographies. You start one and it becomes another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/there-is-a-part-of-me-in-every-character-naturally-that-s-why/) [John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/) > [I do read a lot of autobiographies and biographies but from people who are not in my field - older women, older artists, Miles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-do-read-a-lot-of-autobiographies-and-biographies-but-from-people/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I love memoirs and autobiographies in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-davern/i-love-memoirs-and-autobiographies-in-general/) [Brett Davern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-davern/) > [One of the autobiographies I really liked was Bob Dylan's. It was interesting because he didn't do it in a linear fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bryan/one-of-the-autobiographies-i-really-liked-was-bob-dylan-s-it-was/) [Daniel Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bryan/) > [I don't want to know about my biggest idols. I don't want to read their autobiographies, I don't want to find out what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-want-to-know-about-my-biggest-idols-i-don-t-want-to-read/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's so embarrassing to think that someone is actually interested in what you're thinking. And in that regard, it's almost unbelievable that autobiographies are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oddn-eir/it-s-so-embarrassing-to-think-that-someone-is-actually-interested-in/) [Oddný Eir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oddn-eir/) > [I've read autobiographies from Per Mertesacker, Jaap Stam, Sol Campbell, John Terry... you name them, I've read them. It helps me improve my game,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ve-read-autobiographies-from-per-mertesacker-jaap-stam-sol-campbell/) [Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/) > [Autobiographies give you the picture of the person behind the image on screen, because that's never really you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepti-naval/autobiographies-give-you-the-picture-of-the-person-behind-the-image/) [Deepti Naval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepti-naval/) > [“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-knew-that-if-i-allowed-fear-to-overtake-me-my-journey-was-doomed-2/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [If you take the autobiographies of great sports people, they are almost always the same. They start with zero; they are always ambitious, know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petr-cech/if-you-take-the-autobiographies-of-great-sports-people-they-are/) [Petr Cech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petr-cech/) > [Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts - the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/great-nations-write-their-autobiographies-in-three-manuscripts-the/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > ['Walking and Talking' is my autobiography. It's best to do it that way, rather than spend months writing a book that then ends up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/walking-and-talking-is-my-autobiography-it-s-best-to-do-it-that-way/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [What I absorbed from autobiographies was not how to be great so much as the littleness of the great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-franklin/what-i-absorbed-from-autobiographies-was-not-how-to-be-great-so-much/) [Miles Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-franklin/) > [I like to read. Autobiographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-like-to-read-autobiographies/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Over the years your bodies become walking autobiographies, telling friends and strangers alike of the minor and major stresses of your lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/over-the-years-your-bodies-become-walking-autobiographies-telling/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) ## More by Viv Albertine > [I have a lot of empathy, and I think that's where mothering starts. You are there to empathise and facilitate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-have-a-lot-of-empathy-and-i-think-that-s-where-mothering-starts-you/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I get the same lurching thrill now when I'm about to sit down to an egg mayonnaise sandwich and a packet of plain crisps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-get-the-same-lurching-thrill-now-when-i-m-about-to-sit-down-to-an/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I have a daughter. I have my imagination. I have friends. I, in no way, am going to louse that up with some idiot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-have-a-daughter-i-have-my-imagination-i-have-friends-i-in-no-way-am/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I don't believe in an afterlife. You live on in the people you influence during your lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-don-t-believe-in-an-afterlife-you-live-on-in-the-people-you/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [Women are constantly taught to think about what other people are thinking, from those 'Jackie' magazine quizzes - 'What's he thinking?' - to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/women-are-constantly-taught-to-think-about-what-other-people-are/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [Most female artists - to do what you have to do and to be as honest as you have to be, to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/most-female-artists-to-do-what-you-have-to-do-and-to-be-as-honest-as/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I'm not a gifted storyteller, so I write what I know and hope that honesty resonates with other people's experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-m-not-a-gifted-storyteller-so-i-write-what-i-know-and-hope-that/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [The more blows you have in life, the better, because it means you're challenging yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/the-more-blows-you-have-in-life-the-better-because-it-means-you-re/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I'd like to be with someone kind who can hold a conversation and is in my age group. If that's too much to ask,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-d-like-to-be-with-someone-kind-who-can-hold-a-conversation-and-is/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I think, often, people who do something new creatively don't benefit financially from it - it's the people who come after and make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-think-often-people-who-do-something-new-creatively-don-t-benefit/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [If I didn't live in London, I would live in Glasgow. I love the colour of the brick and the black ironwork. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/if-i-didn-t-live-in-london-i-would-live-in-glasgow-i-love-the-colour/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [We used to have massively long discussions about how we should stand on stage. Should we stand with our legs apart? No, all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/we-used-to-have-massively-long-discussions-about-how-we-should-stand/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I'm the angriest and most empathetic person you'll ever meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-m-the-angriest-and-most-empathetic-person-you-ll-ever-meet/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [“At last there is an unknown element back in my life. This is how it used to be. This is how I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/at-last-there-is-an-unknown-element-back-in-my-life-this-is-how-it/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I think I am the Elizabeth Barrett of 2015. Not in terms of genius but in bed a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-think-i-am-the-elizabeth-barrett-of-2015-not-in-terms-of-genius-but/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) [Explore all 103 Viv Albertine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) ## More Autobiographies quotes > [I like to read. Autobiographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-like-to-read-autobiographies/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [What I absorbed from autobiographies was not how to be great so much as the littleness of the great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-franklin/what-i-absorbed-from-autobiographies-was-not-how-to-be-great-so-much/) [Miles Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-franklin/) > ['Walking and Talking' is my autobiography. It's best to do it that way, rather than spend months writing a book that then ends up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/walking-and-talking-is-my-autobiography-it-s-best-to-do-it-that-way/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [I do read a lot of autobiographies and biographies but from people who are not in my field - older women, older artists, Miles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-do-read-a-lot-of-autobiographies-and-biographies-but-from-people/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts - the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/great-nations-write-their-autobiographies-in-three-manuscripts-the/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [If you take the autobiographies of great sports people, they are almost always the same. They start with zero; they are always ambitious, know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petr-cech/if-you-take-the-autobiographies-of-great-sports-people-they-are/) [Petr Cech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petr-cech/) > [“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-knew-that-if-i-allowed-fear-to-overtake-me-my-journey-was-doomed-2/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Autobiographies give you the picture of the person behind the image on screen, because that's never really you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepti-naval/autobiographies-give-you-the-picture-of-the-person-behind-the-image/) [Deepti Naval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepti-naval/) > [I've read autobiographies from Per Mertesacker, Jaap Stam, Sol Campbell, John Terry... you name them, I've read them. It helps me improve my game,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ve-read-autobiographies-from-per-mertesacker-jaap-stam-sol-campbell/) [Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/) > [“It's so embarrassing to think that someone is actually interested in what you're thinking. And in that regard, it's almost unbelievable that autobiographies are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oddn-eir/it-s-so-embarrassing-to-think-that-someone-is-actually-interested-in/) [Oddný Eir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oddn-eir/) > [I don't want to know about my biggest idols. I don't want to read their autobiographies, I don't want to find out what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-want-to-know-about-my-biggest-idols-i-don-t-want-to-read/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the autobiographies I really liked was Bob Dylan's. It was interesting because he didn't do it in a linear fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bryan/one-of-the-autobiographies-i-really-liked-was-bob-dylan-s-it-was/) [Daniel Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bryan/) > [I love memoirs and autobiographies in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-davern/i-love-memoirs-and-autobiographies-in-general/) [Brett Davern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-davern/) > [Over the years your bodies become walking autobiographies, telling friends and strangers alike of the minor and major stresses of your lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/over-the-years-your-bodies-become-walking-autobiographies-telling/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [I like autobiographies. I wouldn't mind making one of those.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-livingston/i-like-autobiographies-i-wouldn-t-mind-making-one-of-those/) [Shaun Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-livingston/) [Browse all 59 Autobiographies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't stand these autobiographies that start with, you know, 'I was born in Acton, and I went to such and such a school.' 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