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Best quotes about autobiography

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Autobiographies are powerful tools that allow individuals to share their life experiences and lessons with the world. These personal narratives provide insights into the triumphs, struggles, and growth of various individuals, inspiring readers to reflect on their own journeys. Many renowned authors, philosophers, and public figures have shared their thoughts on the significance of autobiography. In this article, we have curated a collection of quotes about autobiography that will inspire and motivate you to document your own unique story.

Autobiographies hold immense power as they give a voice to the unheard and offer a glimpse into the lives of others. They serve as a reminder that everyone has their own story to tell, and that each story is equally valuable. As Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Autobiographies empower individuals to embrace their experiences and provide a source of solace and inspiration for readers.

Writing an autobiography is not just about recounting events but also about self-reflection and personal growth. As Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” Autobiographies allow individuals to explore their own journey, learn from their experiences, and share the wisdom gained with others.

Read These Quotes About Autobiography

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou

“Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going.” – Tennessee Williams

“I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what it means.” – Joan Didion

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

“It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The story of a life can be as long or as short as you make it.” – Navjot Singh Sidhu

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

“What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.” – Oprah Winfrey

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” – Søren Kierkegaard

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” – William Faulkner

“Every life is in many days, day after day. We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love. But always meeting ourselves.” – James Joyce

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.” – Marcus Aurelius

“Life is a book and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read.” – Cassandra Clare

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” – Maya Angelou

These quotes about autobiography capture the essence of the power and significance of personal narratives. They serve as a reminder that our stories matter and that sharing them can have a profound impact on ourselves and others. Whether you choose to document your life journey or find solace and inspiration in reading the autobiographies of others, remember that every story is unique and valuable.

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Biographies Quotes

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We do not learn much from learned books, but from true, sincere, human books, from frank and honest biographies.

Biography is the only true history.

I believe that people should write biographies only about people they love, or understand, or both. Novels, on the other hand, are often better if they're about people the writer doesn't like very much.

People think that because a novel's invented, it isn't true. Exactly the reverse is the case. Biography and memoirs can never be wholly true, since they cannot include every conceivable circumstance of what happened. The novel can do that.

It can be a long gap between the emergence of fully researched historical biographies.

The secret of biography resides in finding the link between talent and achievement. A biography seems irrelevant if it doesnt discover the overlap between what the individual did and the life that made this possible. Without discovering that, you have shapeless happenings and gossip.

The immense majority of human biographies are a gray transit between domestic spasm and oblivion.

Biography can be the most middle-class of all forms, the judgment of little people avenging themselves on the great.

Perfect objectivity is always impossible, no matter who writes a person's biography.

Biography is one of the new terrors of death.

I realize that I had always in my heart of hearts planned to write a biography of Marie Antoinette.

I like contemporary American literature and I like biographies and I like jazz and I like baseball and I like writers who write about the human condition and sci-fi is just something that I happened into.

If those gentlemen would let me alone I should be much obliged to them. I would say, as Shakespeare would say... Sweet Friend, for Jesus sake forbear.

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.

I hate biographies which say, I was called to such and such an office, and he offered me so and so, and I got so and so money. I find that very tedious. The best biographies are written by other people.

I have not much interest in anyone's personal history after the tenth year, not even my own. Whatever one was going to be was all prepared before that.

My songs form a kind of biography or diary of my life as they are about people I have loved and people I only knew in my heart, places I have seen only for a moment and places I have lived all my life.

For one who reads, there is no limit to the number of lives that may be lived, for fiction, biography, and history offer an inexhaustible number of lives in many parts of the world, in all periods of time.

The biography of a writer - or even the autobiography - will always have this incompleteness.

What use is there for a biography of myself? I'm just a movie actor.

There is properly no history, only biography.

Biography is a very definite region bounded on the north by history, on the south by fiction, on the east by obituary, and on the west by tedium.

It is also one of the pleasures of oral biography, in that the reader, rather than editor, is jury.

One good anecdote is worth a volume of biography.

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Quotes about Autobiography

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Autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. Votes: 6

Autobiography begins with a sense of being alone. It is an orphan form. Votes: 6

Autobiography is an unrivaled vehicle for telling the truth about other people. Votes: 5

I'm writing an unauthorized autobiography. Votes: 4

Every artist writes his own autobiography. Votes: 4

There is no psychology; there is only biography and autobiography. Votes: 4

A poet's autobiography is his poetry. Anything else is just a footnote. Votes: 4

I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead. Votes: 4

A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction. Votes: 4

Every autobiography is concerned with two characters, a Don Quixote, the Ego, and a Sancho Panza, the Self. Votes: 4

An autobiography is not about pictures; it's about the stories; it's about honesty and as much truth as you can tell without coming too close to other people's privacy. Votes: 4

All autobiography is self-indulgent. Votes: 3

Autobiography is mostly alibiography. Votes: 3

Autobiography is a genre notorious for falsehood. Votes: 3

Autobiography is a preemptive strike against biographers. Votes: 3

Autobiography is usually honest but it is never truthful. Votes: 3

Autobiography is probably the most respectable form of lying Votes: 3

Autobiography is probably the most respectable form of lying. Votes: 3

Autobiography may be the preeminent kind of American expression. Votes: 3

Autobiography is now as common as adultery, and hardly less reprehensible Votes: 3

Autobiography is a wound where the blood of history does not dry. Votes: 3

An autobiography usually reveals nothing bad about its writer except his memory. Votes: 3

An autobiography is an obituary in serial form with the last installment missing. Votes: 3

When natural inclination develops into a passionate desire, one advances towards his goal in seven-league boots. Votes: 3

I am being frank about myself in this book. I tell of my first mistake on page 850. Votes: 3

I'm also doing a special for Comedy Central called Autobiography. It's going to be a spoof of Biography. Votes: 3

For what is a poem but a hazardous attempt at self-understanding: it is the deepest part of autobiography. Votes: 3

I was elected a Captain of Volunteers--a success which gave me more pleasure than any I have had since. Votes: 3

Autobiography of a Yogi is justifiably celebrated as one of the most entertaining and enlightening spiritual books ever written. Votes: 3

I love 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X.' That was like the only black book we read in high school. Votes: 3

Who ever heard, indeed, of an autobiography that was not (interesting)? I can recall none in all the literature of the world Votes: 3

One of the greatest gifts in this world is the ability to make others smile. - The Unauthorized Autobiography of Jonathan Fisher Votes: 3

Autobiography is never entirely true. No one can get the right perspective on himself. Every fact is colored by imagination and dream. Votes: 3

I dislike modern memoirs. They are generally written by people who have either entirely lost their memories, or have never done anything worth remembering. Votes: 3

The way I would live my life is: never do something in real life that I would not want to write about in my Autobiography. Votes: 3

UCLA acknowledged this shift by bringing in Alex Haley (the co-author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X) and Eldridge Cleaver (Soul on Ice) as speakers. Votes: 3

But instinct is something which transcends knowledge. We have, undoubtedly, certain finer fibers that enable us to perceive truths when logical deduction, or any other willful effort of the brain, is futile. Votes: 3

Even wondered about the difference?Autobiography: The usually self-serving accounts of personal accomplishments by a public figure.Memoir: The usually self-serving accounts of someone whose only accomplishments are often self-pity and vindictiveness. Votes: 3

I write fiction and I'm told it's autobiography, I write autobiography and I'm told it's fiction, so since I'm so dim and they're so smart, let them decide what it is or it isn't. Votes: 3

My Turn is the distilled bathwater of Mrs. Reagan's life. It is for the most part sweetish, with a tart edge of rebuke, but disappointingly free of dirt or particulate matter of any kind. Votes: 3

I keep stacks of Autobiography of a Yogi around the house, and I give it out constantly to people. When people need 'regrooving,' I say read this, because it cuts to the heart of every religion. Votes: 3

It isn't that you subordinate your ideas to the force of the facts in autobiography but that you construct a sequence of stories to bind up the facts with a persuasive hypothesis that unravels your history's meaning. Votes: 3

Very few people have actually had a chance to see the raw material that was going to comprise these three chapters [of Malcolm X Autobiography]. The missing political testament that should have been in the autobiography, but isn't. Votes: 3

A turning point in the public's perception of the building art came with the publication of Frank Lloyd Wright's 'An Autobiography' of 1932, a picaresque narrative that captivated many who hadn't the slightest inkling of what architects actually did. Votes: 3

In [Yogananda's] celebrated Autobiography of a Yogi, he offers a stunning account of the 'cosmic consciousness' reached on the upper levels of yogic practice, and numerous interesting perspectives on human nature from the yogic and Vedantic points of view. Votes: 3

Autobiography is awfully seductive; it's wonderful. Once I got into it, I realized I was following a tradition established by Frederick Douglass - the slave narrative - speaking in the first-person singular, talking about the first-person plural, always saying 'I,' meaning 'we.' Votes: 3

Autobiography. Apparently one should not name the names of those one has been to bed with, or give explicit figures on the amount of money one has earned, those being the two data most eagerly sought by readers; all the rest is legitimate to reveal. Votes: 3

A reflection of my feelings about the space program is found in a quotation from Charles A. Lindbergh's "Autobiography of Values." It reads, "Whether outwardly or inwardly, whether in space or time, the farther we penetrate the unknown, the vaster and more marvelous it becomes." Votes: 3

Don't give your opinions about Art and the Purpose of Life. They are of little interest and, anyway, you can't express them. Don't analyze yourself. Give the relevant facts and let your readers make their own judgments. Stick to your story. It is not the most important subject in history but it is one about which you are uniquely qualified to speak. Votes: 3

All autobiography is self-indulgent Votes: 1

Every artist writes his own autobiography Votes: 1

My autobiography was simply the story of my life. Votes: 1

I believe there's only one autobiography you can do. Votes: 1

All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster's autobiography. Votes: 1

I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead Votes: 1

I spent most of this afternoon writing a new introduction for my autobiography. Votes: 1

For 20 years, Simon & Schuster asked me, 'Why don't you write your autobiography?' Votes: 1

I don't feel famous and I didn't want my autobiography to be like a Paris Hilton story. Votes: 1

I don't want to write an autobiography because I would become public property with no privacy left. Votes: 1

Next to the writer of real estate advertisements, the autobiographer is the most suspect of prose artists Votes: 1

An autobiography can distort; facts can be realigned. But fiction never lies: it reveals the writer totally. Votes: 1

For what is a poem but a hazardous attempt at self-understanding it is the deepest part of autobiography Votes: 1

Who ever heard, indeed, of an autobiography that was not (interesting)? I can recall none in all the literature of the world Votes: 1

I won't ever direct a film. And I certainly won't write an autobiography. Only self-obsessed people want to write or talk about themselves! Votes: 1

People once said they were in psychoanalysis, meaning they were committed to a long immersion. In a sense, they were writing their autobiographies Votes: 1

In fact Sarah Palin has created more jobs than Obama has. She created eleven jobs fact-checking at the AP just for the Palin autobiography. Votes: 1

If the landscape changes, then I don't know who I am either. The landscape is a refracted autobiography. As it disappears you lose your sense of self. Votes: 1

Few men would dare to read their own autobiography if all their deeds were recorded in it; few can look back upon their entire career without a blush. Votes: 1

It means that no matter what you write, be it a biography, an autobiography, a detective novel, or a conversation on the street, it all becomes fiction as soon as you write it down. Votes: 1

The difference between memoir and autobiography, as far as I see it, is that a memoir is there primarily to tell one particular story, whereas an autobiography tries to be a full account of a life. Votes: 1

After reading Eminem's autobiography, which I did because I'm so interested in him as an artist, I respect him a lot. Even though he seems angry and mad, he's had to fight so many demons in his life. Votes: 1

An autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. A man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying, since any life when viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats Votes: 1

I was trying to write an autobiography using prints and patterns that reference emotional, psychological, and personal development in my work, as a person growing up, figuring out who I was. I used fabrics to stand in for occurrences. Votes: 1

I realized going back and writing and explaining in details the difficulties I had lived actually became emotional again. It's like therapy but sometimes therapy can be painful. But it's part of life and part of the autobiography so I'll have to finish it sooner or later. Votes: 1

All autobiography is fiction. Votes: 0

Often your face is your autobiography Votes: 0

Every ist writes his own autobiography. Votes: 0

there is no truly honest autobiography. Votes: 0

Save it for my unauthorized autobiography. Votes: 0

Story , finally, is humanity 's autobiography . Votes: 0

All criticism is a form of autobiography Votes: 0

History is the autobiography of a madman. Votes: 0

A proper autobiography is a death-bed confession. Votes: 0

Anything that is not autobiography is plagiarism. Votes: 0

... any fictionis bound to be transposed autobiography. Votes: 0

'My Life' is not an autobiography. It's just music. Votes: 0

The way people move is their autobiography in motion. Votes: 0

The theme of my autobiography could only be repetition. Votes: 0

Usually, autobiography is such an indulgence of the ego. Votes: 0

Everyone plagiarizes me. Ever since I wrote my autobiography. Votes: 0

I want an autobiography without revealing any personal information. Votes: 0

An interim report - that is what an autobiography is. Votes: 0

A little autobiography and a lot of imagination are best. Votes: 0

I have a children's book already out and my autobiography. Votes: 0

Of all forms of fiction, autobiography is the most gratuitous. Votes: 0

I've written a lot of autobiography, which also involved listening. Votes: 0

Photos are our autobiography, a way of telling who we are. Votes: 0

There's no such thing as autobiography, there's only art and lies Votes: 0

Literature in its most comprehensive sense is the autobiography of humanity. Votes: 0

An autobiography is the story of how a man thinks he lived. Votes: 0

For those who know how to read, I have painted my autobiography Votes: 0

What you do with your resources in this life is your autobiography. Votes: 0

The human face is the subtle yet visual autobiography of each person, Votes: 0

I think at the age of 50, everyone should write their own autobiography. Votes: 0

The brain writes the autobiography of our species at the conscious level. Votes: 0

Why is autobiography the most popular form of fiction for modern readers? Votes: 0

An autobiography usually reveals nothing bad about its writer except his memory. Votes: 0

All fiction is largely autobiographical and much autobiography is, of course, fiction. Votes: 0

There may be a point where I may decide to write an autobiography. Votes: 0

The 'Glass' is not my autobiography, nor is it self-expression. Far from it. Votes: 0

There is no question in my mind: reading Gandhi's autobiography changed my life. Votes: 0

I found nothing really wrong with this autobiography except poor choice of subject. Votes: 0

If you do not want to explore an egoism you should not read autobiography. Votes: 0

Mom - the person most likely to write an autobiography and never mention herself. Votes: 0

The course of life is unpredictable no one can write his autobiography in advance. Votes: 0

If you believe the past can't be changed, you haven't read a celebrity's autobiography. Votes: 0

I don't think men experience the embargo on channeling the autobiography in their literature. Votes: 0

I'm the only person who has ever found the right way to build an autobiography. Votes: 0

I shall never write an autobiography, I'm much too jealous of my privacy for that. Votes: 0

One of the most attractive things about writing your autobiography is that you're not dead. Votes: 0

Let's face it, it's only called Scrubs because I'm saving 'Zach Braff' for my autobiography. Votes: 0

Death is the advertisement, at the end of an autobiography, wherein people discover its virtues. Votes: 0

Just as there is nothing between the admirable omelet and the intolerable, so with autobiography. Votes: 0

Travel books are, by and large, boring. They lodge uncomfortably between fact, fiction and autobiography. Votes: 0

An autobiography should give the reader opportunity to point out the author's follies and misconceptions. Votes: 0

When I bought out my first autobiography I received the biggest tax bill of my life. Votes: 0

Hiring someone to write your autobiography is like hiring someone to take a bath for you Votes: 0

An autobiography is a life story. It starts when you're born and continues until the end. Votes: 0

The biography of a writer - or even the autobiography - will always have this incompleteness. Votes: 0

Dammit, Dresden, if you want to know about me, wait for the autobiography like everyone else. Votes: 0

The urge to write one's autobiography, so I have been told, overtakes everyone sooner or later. Votes: 0

My mother always said that everyone should be required to write an autobiography of their lives. Votes: 0

Every autobiography ... becomes an absorbing work of fiction, with something of the charm of a cryptogram. Votes: 0

A writer's work may be a coded autobiography, but only a very close friend could decipher it. Votes: 0

I am a total sucker for an actor's autobiography/biography. I have probably read most of them. Votes: 0

Blue Plate Special' is the autobiography of my first half-century of life, with food as the subject. Votes: 0

My autobiography is one of the truest, most frankly written books ever published in the western hemisphere. Votes: 0

Ric Flair was so big I heard about him. I've read his autobiography and all that. He's huge. Votes: 0

There is no real escape from autobiography into biography. The self has to be faced, or we die. Votes: 0

I read Gloria Swanson's autobiography just because I wanted to know what it was like in the time. Votes: 0

The wrongs of childhood and upbringing have made a large and obsessional contribution to autobiography and the novel. Votes: 0

Only when one has lost all curiosity about the future has one reached the age to write an autobiography. Votes: 0

To write an autobiography of Groucho Marx would be as asinine as to read an autobiography of Groucho Marx. Votes: 0

When my mother left her second husband, she wrote her autobiography and presented it to him for his approval. Votes: 0

I usually balance out autobiography with goofy, amusing stuff to help keep the humour in my more serious work. Votes: 0

Ive never had any interest at all in being a journalist or writing some sort of historically accurate autobiography. Votes: 0

I've never had any interest at all in being a journalist or writing some sort of historically accurate autobiography. Votes: 0

The real subject of autobiography is not one's experience but one's consciousness. Memoirists use the self as a tool. Votes: 0

I paint the way some people write an autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages from my diary. Votes: 0

When Shonda Rhimes writes her autobiography, it should be called How to Get Away With Being an Angry Black Woman. Votes: 0

I'm drawn to fiction that hints at nonfiction, that blurs or seems to blur the boundaries between invention and autobiography. Votes: 0

I didn't find my story; it found me, as autobiography always does: finds you out in your deepest most private places. Votes: 0

What's upsetting about an autobiography is that the final chapter is always missing. I mean, you want the death, don't you? Votes: 0

biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled with the life of the biographer. Votes: 0

I write to be truthful in my songs, which is why I wrote what's painfully truthful about my life in my autobiography. Votes: 0

The point, I decided, wasn't to have the autobiography or even the memories. The point was who I became when I wrote. Votes: 0

Memory is the crux of our humanity. Without memory we have no identities. That is really why I am committing an autobiography. Votes: 0

the unconscious of an artist is her greatest treasure. It is what transmutes the dross of autobiography into the gold of myth. Votes: 0

Siamese twins are interesting because they are the only people who can write a biography and an autobiography at the same time. Votes: 0

An autobiography is a book a person writes about his own life and it is usually full of all sorts of boring details. Votes: 0

One puts off the biography like you put off death. To write an autobiography is to etch the words on your own gravestone. Votes: 0

I won't write my autobiography because I never had an affair with Frank Sinatra, and if I had had, I wouldn't tell anyone. Votes: 0

If I did not publish this autobiography [Les Mots] sooner and in its most radical form, it is because I considered it exaggerated. Votes: 0

an autobiography held out the promise of hearing truths that only friends confess to one another but are knowledge you need to live. Votes: 0

My grandfather started his autobiography before he died; he never finished it. I would like to finish his autobiography because I finished mine. Votes: 0

If you say a modern celebrity is an adulterer, a pervert and a drug addict, all it means is that you've read his autobiography. Votes: 0

Whenever I see an autobiography for sale in the book store i just flip to the about the author section. I'm like, "Done, next!" Votes: 0

Thus, in a real sense, I am constantly writing autobiography, but I have to turn it into fiction in order to give it credibility. Votes: 0

A memoir is a book about some particular thread or theme or moment in a person's life, whereas an autobiography is the entire life. Votes: 0

My father always told me I should be a writer, and I found I loved writing my autobiography; writing is such an interesting process. Votes: 0

autobiography at least saves a man or woman that the world is curious about from the publication of a string of mistakes called 'Memoirs. Votes: 0

If I ever write an autobiography about teaching meditation in the West, I'll call it "Pissing In the Wind - Teaching Buddhism in America". Votes: 0

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. Votes: 0

Everything is autobiography, even if one writes something that is totally objective. The fact that it's a subject that seizes you makes it autobiographical. Votes: 0

If Nietzsche is correct, that to shame a man is to kill him, then any honest attempt at autobiography will be an act of self-destruction. Votes: 0

I started writing about New Mexico in an autobiography class I was taking for school, and realized that it was very inspiring place for me. Votes: 0

They asked me what I wanted to call my autobiography. I suggested: The Definitive Volume on the Finest Bloody Fast Bowler That Ever Drew Breath. Votes: 0

To write an autobiography, you've got to expose other people. I hope to get out of this world as gracefully as possible, without embarrassing anyone. Votes: 0

There's something about the authenticity rather than the autobiography that makes my story and my pain move across and become your story and your pain. Votes: 0

On the trail of another man, the biographer must put up with finding himself at every turn; any biography uneasily shelters an autobiography within it. Votes: 0

I wasn't allowed to use people's real names, such as my siblings and my children's father, but there's nothing fabricated or untrue in my autobiography. Votes: 0

In writing the autobiography, I can really chuckle when I look at the songs. I was acting out the part. I saw myself as a victim. Votes: 0

And then I wrote my first autobiography when I - well, it was 23 years ago. And since then I've written about one book every two years. Votes: 0

American Splendor is just an ongoing journal. It's an ongoing autobiography. I started it when I was in my early 30s, and I just keep going. Votes: 0

I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages of my journal, and as such they are valid. Votes: 0

I didn't think before that I'd done enough to justify publishing an autobiography but after 40 years in show business I'm now ready to tell my story. Votes: 0

With fiction, the works of women are often over-interpreted as autobiography, especially when the main character is a woman, especially if she is seen as privileged. Votes: 0

In 1994, to motivate me to complete my pilot's license, my good friend, Gregg Maryniak, gave me Charles Lindbergh's autobiography of his solo flight across the Atlantic. Votes: 0

the autobiography is at one and the same time a single element in the series of the writer's created works and an interpretation of the whole series. Votes: 0

In his autobiography Stravinsky relates that the first music he remembers was made by a peasant, working his hand in his armpit to produce a rhytmic farting. Votes: 0

The book is openly a kind of spiritual autobiography, but the trick is that on any other level it's a kind of insane collage of fragments of memory. Votes: 0

I have been commissioned to write an autobiography and I would be grateful to any of your readers who could tell me what I was doing between 1960 and 1974. Votes: 0

Any attempts at autobiography before the age of eighty seem pretty self-involved to me. There are a lot of smart middle aged people but not many wise ones. Votes: 0

Writing a novel proved to be the hardest, most self-analyzing task I had ever attempted, far worse than an autobiography: and its rewards were greater than I expected. Votes: 0

What follows is more about books than it is about me, but nonetheless it is my inward autobiography, for the words we take into ourselves help to shape us. Votes: 0

In the winter of 2012, as my fiftieth birthday approached, I began to write what turned into my autobiography, a look at my own life through the lens of food. Votes: 0

Fiction is a web of lies that attempts to entangle the truth. And autobiography may well be the reverse: data tricked up and rearranged to invent a fictive self. Votes: 0

I have no plans to write an autobiography, I will leave that to others. I'm sure they will turn me into a homosexual or a Nazi spy or something else. Votes: 0

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 before I even got into the band! Votes: 0

I've always had a sneaking fondness for Martin Van Buren. He wrote his autobiography, you know, and never once mentioned his wife. Now that's what I call a mans man. Votes: 0

I had to live and breathe Margaret Thatcher for a few months. I totally engulfed myself in her life. I read her autobiography and a biography, 'The Grocer's Daughter.' Votes: 0

It is impossible to avoid the suspicion that historical Jesus research is a very safe place to do theology and call it history, to do autobiography and call it biography. Votes: 0

when you recollect something which belonged in an earlier chapter, do not go back, but jam it in where you are . Discursiveness does not hurt an autobiography in the least. Votes: 0

The only book by a modern president that bears serious comparison with Obama's 'Dreams From My Father' is Jimmy Carter's short campaign autobiography, 'Why Not the Best?,' published in 1975. Votes: 0

I never thought I would write an autobiography, probably because my first novel, Go Now, is really all drawn from my life, even though it's more about the psychology going on. Votes: 0

I was kind of relieved with the way the book [The Proud Highway] came out. It's beyond an autobiography or a biography. I never knew what was going to come up next. Votes: 0

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 a memoir. They're essays; they're not an autobiography. Votes: 0

Every novel is a biography. Well, then, this is a novel [The Paper Men] which is a biography that is pretending to be an autobiography. That's what you could say about it. Votes: 0

If the melody is telling me this is what the song is about, then I'm sort of forced into confession, autobiography or fantasy. If I don't do that, I've hamstrung the melody. Votes: 0

Writing an autobiography, usually thought of as a looking back, can just as well be a looking across or through, with the passing of time giving an X-ray quality to the eye. Votes: 0

I've been working on my autobiography, just pecking away in longhand. The more you write, the more you remember. The more you remember, the more detail you recall. It's not all pleasant! Votes: 0

It may be that this autobiography [Aimee Semple McPherson's] is set down in sincerity, frankness, and simple effort. It may be, too, that the Statue of Liberty is situated in Lake Ontario. Votes: 0

The Sonnets of Shakespeare have the fascination of an autobiography, without its clarity. It is like reading an important document in a cave by the light of matches which keep blowing out. Votes: 0

A form of art that I like is portraiture. I've been thinking about portraiture, and its relationship to writing and literature, biography and autobiography, and so that will be my next thing. Votes: 0

Our habitual experience is a complex of failure and success in the enterprise of interpretation. If we desire a record of uninterpreted experience, we must ask a stone to record its autobiography. Votes: 0

There is an element of autobiography in all fiction in that pain or distress, or pleasure, is based on the author's own. But in my case that is as far as it goes. Votes: 0

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 understand first and foremost, that I am an Australian. Votes: 0

In one deep sense, novels are concealed autobiography. I don't mean that you are telling facts about yourself, but you are trying to find out what you really think or who you are. Votes: 0

To admire Satan [in Paradise Lost] is to give one's vote not only for a world of misery, but also for a world of lies and propaganda, of wishful thinking, of incessant autobiography. Votes: 0

A great danger, or at least a great temptation, for many writers is to become too autobiographical in their approach to their fiction. A little autobiography and a lot of imagination are best. Votes: 0

I got out of autobiography because my story is, I was famous, it was hard for me, I got into therapy. I had trouble with food, I got a nutritionist. There's no story there. Votes: 0

This sounds like my autobiography, but I thought this would be a good time to sound off about myself, as I think that I have been silent too long about my views and opinions. Votes: 0

An autobiography is only 'a sort of life' - it may contain less errors of fact than a biography, but it is of necessity even more selective: it begins later and it ends prematurely. Votes: 0

But if writing about people who are not yourself is illegitimate, then the only legitimate work is autobiography; and as a reader and a citizen, I don’t want to live in that world. Votes: 0

I love to read autobiographies. [What is your favorite autobiography?] the autobiography of Coach John Wooden. Everybody has a struggle so it's about seeing how they overcome it and be the best they can. Votes: 0

Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela announced Tuesday he will begin writing his autobiography. He spent 25 years in prison before being elected to public office. In America, we do it the other way around. Votes: 0

A garden that one makes oneself becomes associated with one’s personal history and that of one’s friends, interwoven with one’s tastes, preferences and character and constitutes a sort of unwritten autobiography. Votes: 0

One senses, in all autobiography, a straining toward perfection, perfection of a kind that connects the individual with a cosmic pattern which, because it is perfect in itself, verifies that individuals own potential perfection. Votes: 0

Once I read autobiography as what the writer thought about his or her life. Now I think, 'This is what they thought at that time'. An interim report - that is what an autobiography is. Votes: 0

You are not yourself in autobiography. It is never going to be you, it is only words on a page. Memories are unreliable, so adding the magic of imagination will make your story come alive. Votes: 0

Let me put it in a positive light, with that archive [of Anne Romaine], we have gained extensive knowledge about how [Alex] Haley and Malcolm X actually worked and how the book, the autobiography, was constructed.

An artist should create beautiful things, but should put nothing of his own life into them. We live in an age when men treat art as if it were meant to be a form of autobiography. We have lost the abstract sense of beauty.

In a novel there's not much autobiography. There are characters in transit. Naturally, I can project something of my experiences onto the characters, but they have their own autonomy, a personality that is often a mystery to me.

When my relations with the Communist Party gave me the necessary perspective I decided to write my autobiography. I wanted to show how a man can pass from literature held sacred to action which nevertheless remains that of an intellectual.

President Obama admitted this week that a former girlfriend that he wrote about in his autobiography was made up and not a real person . . . So Obama had an imaginary girlfriend. Big deal! He had an imaginary economic plan. It's all the same.

One of the more fatuous remarks I've heard in recent days is that 'My Life,' Clinton's autobiography, is too long and, at almost 1,000 pages, short it is not. But this man was for eight years the President of the most powerful country on earth.

Yes, one uses what one knows, but autobiography means something else. I should never be able to write a real autobiography; I always end by falsifying and fictionalizing—I’m a liar, in fact. That means I’m a novelist, after all. I write about what I know.

THE WORLD OF YESTERDAY is ostensibly an autobiography but in truth it is much more than that. In this remarkably fine new translation, Anthea Bell perfectly captures Stefan Zweig's glorious evocation of a lost world, Vienna's golden age, in which he grew up and flourished.

I'm boggled by the idea of being an only child. I know nothing at all (I'm happy to say) about having had a cold and withholding mother, about being divorced. The more I've been writing novels, each novel I've written has become successively less grounded in anything approaching autobiography.

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The Best Quotes About Biography

A list of the best biography quotes and sayings, including the names of each speaker or author when available. This list is sorted by popularity, so only the most famous biography quotes are at the top. The authors of these historic biography quotes are displayed next to each quote, so if you see one you like be sure to check out other inspirational biography quotes from that same writer.

This list answers the questions, "What are the best quotes about biography?" and "What are inspirational biography quotes?"

Just as there is nothing between the admirable omelet and the intolerable, so with autobiography.

• Subjects : Biography

If those gentlemen would let me alone I should be much obliged to them. I would say, as Shakespeare would say... Sweet Friend, for Jesus sake forbear.

When my journal appears, many statues must come down., biography should be written by an acute enemy., many heroes lived before agamemnon; but all are unknown and unwept, extinguished in everlasting night, because they have no spirited chronicler., read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory..

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Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old biography quotes, biography sayings, and biography proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

There is properly no history; only biography. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Live your life as if you are writing your Biography. Keshia Chante

Biography is the mesh through which real life escapes. Tom Stoppard

When you read a biography remember that the truth is never fit for publication. George Bernard Shaw

The immense appetite we have for biography comes from a deep-seated sense of equality. Charles Baudelaire

No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men. Thomas Carlyle

Writing a biography is not a love affair. It's not a marriage. It's a job, it's a piece of work. Hermione Lee

Biography can be the most middle-class of all forms, the judgment of little people avenging themselves on the great. Edmund White

A biography is considered complete if it merely accounts for six or seven selves, whereas a person may well have as many as a thousand. Virginia Woolf

Biography is a very definite region bounded on the north by history, on the south by fiction, on the east by obituary, and on the west by tedium. Philip Guedalla

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

Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive pattern upon them. Anthony Daniels

All history is biography. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Biography is the only true history. Thomas Carlyle

Our theology must become biography. Tim Hansel

Your biography becomes your biology. Caroline Myss

A photograph is a biography of a moment. Art Shay

Someone calls biography the home aspect of history. Henry Ward Beecher

Your biography is not your destiny, your decisions are. Tony Robbins

Biography is history seen through the prism of a person. Louis Fischer

History is neither more nor less than biography on a large scale. Alphonse De Lamartine

There is no psychology; there is only biography and autobiography. Thomas Szasz

Once the implicit aim of biography was to uplift now it is to unveil. Mark Feeney

Biography is the most universally pleasant and profitable of all reading. Thomas Carlyle

Biography is: a system in which the contradictions of a human life are unified. Jose Ortega Y Gasset

You can use a biography to examine political power, but only if you pick the right guy. Robert Caro

The biography of a writer - or even the autobiography - will always have this incompleteness. V. S. Naipaul

For me the fascination with biography is the life of the individual in the context of history. Rachel Holmes

The art of biography is different from geography. Geography is about maps, but biography is about chaps. Edmund Clerihew Bentley

A biography should be a dissection and demonstration of how a particular human being was made and worked. H. G. Wells

Biography is essentially a collaborative art, the latest biographer collaborating with all those who wrote earlier. Erica Jong

Behind each biography there should always be a rich treasury of unformulated knowledge, a tapestry that has not been unrolled. Iris Origo

Biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled with the life of the biographer. Linda Simon

The great lesson of biography is to show what man can be and do at his best. A noble life put fairly on record acts like an inspiration to others. Samuel Smiles

The most uninteresting part of the biography of a composer is his childhood. All those preludes are the same and the reader hurries on to the fugue. Dmitri Shostakovich

A biography is never a biography of one person, of course, but the individual life of your protagonist will never conform. It will always bang up against history. Rachel Holmes

If you read the biography of any great man, you will always notice two things: His mother's contribution in his progress and his teacher's contribution in his growth and development. Narendra Modi

History – a biography of a few stout and earnest persons. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let us make sure that future generations write our biography. Amit Kalantri

The art of biography is more difficult than is generally supposed. Thornton Wilder

Art cannot be subordinate to its subject, otherwise it is not art but biography. Tom Stoppard

Almost any biography will have its useful suggestions for making life a success, but none better or more unfailing than the biography of Christ. Robert Baden-Powell

In writing biography, fact and fiction shouldn't be mixed. And if they are, the fictional points should be printed in red ink, the facts printed in black ink. Catherine Drinker Bowen

A typical biography relying upon individuals' notorious memories and the anecdotes they've invented contains a high degree of fiction, yet is considered 'nonfiction.' Joyce Carol Oates

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Autobiography Quotations

Autobiography Quotes from:

• Abraham Lincoln
• Clare Boothe Luce
• Doris Lessing
• Agatha Christie
• Alexander Herzen
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
• Benjamin Franklin
• Berenice Bejo
• Celia Johnson
• Courtney Thorne Smith
• Daphne Du Maurier
• Deborah Kerr
• Della Reese
• Dixie Lee Ray
• Dorothy L Sayers
• Eleanor Roosevelt
• Elizabeth Bowen
• Elizabeth Taylor

Biographies Quotes

The biography of a writer - or even the autobiography - will always have this incompleteness.

Writing Quotes

Everything is autobiography, even if one writes something that is totally objective. The fact that it's a subject that seizes you makes it autobiographical.

I Believe Quotes

I believe there's only one autobiography you can do.

Orphan Quotes

Autobiography begins with a sense of being alone. It is an orphan form.

Stories Quotes

I got out of autobiography because my story is, I was famous, it was hard for me, I got into therapy. I had trouble with food, I got a nutritionist. There's no story there.

My autobiography was simply the story of my life.

There is no psychology; there is only biography and autobiography.

Children Quotes

I have a children's book already out and my autobiography.

Grandfather Quotes

My grandfather started his autobiography before he died; he never finished it. I would like to finish his autobiography because I finished mine.

Just as there is nothing between the admirable omelet and the intolerable, so with autobiography.

Havens Quotes

I haven't read any of the autobiographies about me.

Memories Quotes

An autobiography usually reveals nothing bad about its writer except his memory.

Usually, autobiography is such an indulgence of the ego.

Autobiographies are only useful as the lives you read about and analyze may suggest to you something that you may find useful in your own journey through life.

Life Is Quotes

'My Life' is not an autobiography. It's just music.

Gloria Quotes

I read Gloria Swanson's autobiography just because I wanted to know what it was like in the time.

For 20 years, Simon & Schuster asked me, 'Why don't you write your autobiography?'

[Autobiographies] are all the same - it's always rags-to-riches or I-slept-with-so-and-so. Damned if I'm going to say that.

Artistic Quotes

Autobiography is a preemptive strike against biographers.

I like to read. Autobiographies.

I won't write my autobiography because I never had an affair with Frank Sinatra, and if I had had, I wouldn't tell anyone.

Bounds Quotes

... any fictionis bound to be transposed autobiography.

Nature did not make me willowy.

Ric Flair was so big I heard about him. I've read his autobiography and all that. He's huge.

The urge to write one's autobiography, so I have been told, overtakes everyone sooner or later.

Madmen Quotes

History is the autobiography of a madman.

Thinking Quotes

Once I read autobiography as what the writer thought about his or her life. Now I think, 'This is what they thought at that time'. An interim report - that is what an autobiography is.

Reports Quotes

An interim report - that is what an autobiography is.

Elements Quotes

the autobiography is at one and the same time a single element in the series of the writer's created works and an interpretation of the whole series.

All autobiographies are alibi-ographies.

Autobiography is mostly alibiography.

Book Quotes

All autobiography is self-indulgent.

Yoga Quotes

Our bodies are apt to be our autobiographies.

Listening Quotes

I've written a lot of autobiography, which also involved listening.

Lying Quotes

There's no such thing as autobiography, there's only art and lies

Splendor Quotes

American Splendor is just an ongoing journal. It's an ongoing autobiography. I started it when I was in my early 30s, and I just keep going.

Ive never had any interest at all in being a journalist or writing some sort of historically accurate autobiography.

Want Quotes

If you do not want to explore an egoism you should not read autobiography.

Honest Quotes

there is no truly honest autobiography.

Courses Quotes

All fiction is largely autobiographical and much autobiography is, of course, fiction.

Computer Quotes

Save it for my unauthorized autobiography.

Theme Quotes

The theme of my autobiography could only be repetition.

A proper autobiography is a death-bed confession.

Ideas Quotes

A new idea must not be judged by its immediate results.

What I absorbed from autobiographies was not how to be great so much as the littleness of the great.

Faces Quotes

The human face is the subtle yet visual autobiography of each person,

Everyone plagiarizes me. Ever since I wrote my autobiography.

Story , finally, is humanity 's autobiography .

Plagiarism Quotes

Anything that is not autobiography is plagiarism.

Fiction Quotes

Of all forms of fiction, autobiography is the most gratuitous.

I don't want to get into autobiographies, I don't want to talk about myself.

Notorious Quotes

Autobiography is a genre notorious for falsehood.

Crafts Quotes

All autobiography is fiction.

Often your face is your autobiography

Let's face it, it's only called Scrubs because I'm saving 'Zach Braff' for my autobiography.

Lectures Quotes

I find quite as much material for a lecture in those points wherein I have failed, as in those wherein I have been moderately successful.

Farms Quotes

I was raised to farm work.

All autobiographies are lies. I do not mean unconscious, unintentional lies: I mean deliberate lies.

Trusted Quotes

Autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful.

To write an autobiography of Groucho Marx would be as asinine as to read an autobiography of Groucho Marx.

Every autobiography ... becomes an absorbing work of fiction, with something of the charm of a cryptogram.

Know How Quotes

For those who know how to read, I have painted my autobiography

Criticism Quotes

All criticism is a form of autobiography

I'm the only person who has ever found the right way to build an autobiography.

Autobiography is usually honest but it is never truthful.

Quotes from famous authors

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30 Best Autobiography By Mahatma Gandhi Quotes With Image

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5 key lessons from autobiography by mahatma gandhi, 30 best autobiography by mahatma gandhi quotes.

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Posted on Jun 05, 2024

How to Write an Autobiography: The Story of Your Life

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Savannah Cordova

Savannah is a senior editor with Reedsy and a published writer whose work has appeared on Slate, Kirkus, and BookTrib. Her short fiction has appeared in the Owl Canyon Press anthology, "No Bars and a Dead Battery". 

Anyone who’s lived a long, interesting life (as many of us have in one way or another!) may dream of someday turning their life into a book. However, the practicalities of how to write an autobiography can be daunting — especially to those who don’t have much writing experience.

If you feel ready to write your autobiography but aren’t sure where to start, this guide will take you from opening lines to (hopefully) publishing your autobiography for all the world to read.

1. Understand what an autobiography entails

When asked to picture an autobiography, you might think of a celebrity tell-all or political memoir. This isn’t inaccurate ; a memoir would definitely fall under the autobiography umbrella. But to be really precise, there are a few key differences between memoirs and autobiographies:

• Memoirs tend to be more thematic and focus on a  central narrative (similar to a novel), whereas an autobiography is highly factual and reads more like “classic” nonfiction.
• Memoirs focus on a specific period or theme in a person’s life, while autobiographies aim to give a complete, chronological picture.
• Lastly, many memoirs are written while the writer is still young. An autobiography, though, should be written later in one’s life — at a point where one’s life story can be told comprehensively.

An autobiography is also different from a biography in that it is always narrated by the subject. Note that we’ve said “narrated” instead of “written” because, indeed, many autobiographies are created with the help of ghostwriters!

Ghostwritten autobiographies aren’t just for celebrities, either. People from all walks of life work with ghostwriters to record their stories or simply guide them through the process.

If that sounds like you, have a look through  our vetted ghostwriters on the Reedsy marketplace . You might just find your dream collaborator!

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Should you write a memoir or an autobiography?

In other words, if you’re still young (be honest here!), and/or if the book you want to write is more a series of vignettes revolving around a central theme, you may have a memoir on your hands. If that’s the case, check out our guide to how to write a memoir for more tailored advice.

But if you’ve already lived a long, interesting life — one that you feel prepared to share chronologically and completely — then an autobiography is the medium for you.

2. Outline your life's main “beats”

You might think you don’t need to be too picky about what to include in your autobiography since it’s supposed to be a “complete” account — and you’d be mostly right! That said, even in a fairly exhaustive autobiography, it’s still useful to identify the key “beats” before you begin.

What should you include in an autobiography?

While each person’s autobiography will be unique to them, readers expect certain “beats” to be covered. To get the ball rolling, here’s a list of classic autobiographical beats to hit:

• 🐣 Your birth and family background – possibly including how your parents met, where they were living at the time of your birth, whether you have any siblings, etc.
• 📚  Your early days at school – including the friends you made (whether long-lasting or not), your academic achievements (and failures), and any critical moments related to your future goals/actions.
• 🧑🏽‍💻  Your first job – this is often enlightening for readers, particularly if it had some bearing on your later career; whether because you realized that you loved the work or, more likely, that you didn’t want to work your first job forever.
• 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩  Your first relationship – similar to your first job, this is often a major stepping stone into adulthood and understanding your priorities.
• Moving house;
• Having children;
• Getting promoted;
• Receiving an award;
• Traveling somewhere new;
• Or discovering anything significant about yourself.
• 💼  Your retirement – if applicable, this will likely be one of the last beats you cover; it might include why you decided to retire, how you are spending your time nowadays, and any plans for the future.

Remember that each beat you include should contribute to a holistic portrait of your life — whether it’s something that shaped your character or lends context to another parallel moment later on.

But not everything will be relevant. There’s no need to include random things that have no bearing on any other event or important element of your life; that said, the lucky thing about memory is that you likely won’t recall most of those things anyway!

Need some help outlining your autobiography? Check out our Biography Outline Template below — while not entirely chronological, it’s a great starting point for any aspiring autobiographical author.

FREE RESOURCE

Biography Outline Template

Craft a satisfying story arc for your biography with our free template.

3. Try to write in chronological order

Having come up with a solid outline, you should now feel (somewhat) prepared to start writing your autobiography… and, ideally, to start writing it in chronological order.

While many books can be drafted non-chronologically, an autobiography is not one of them. This is because each new chapter quite literally builds on the last; this is different even from a memoir, which often skips around in time and leaves out details. The best way to ensure you’re not missing anything is to write your autobiography as chronologically as possible!

How to start an autobiography

On the note of starting your autobiography, it’s pretty straightforward: begin either with your birth or slightly before, e.g., with your parents. Unlike a memoir, which can start in medias res ( in the middle of the action ), an autobiography should start ab ovo , or “from the egg.”

This is one of the biggest benefits of writing chronologically: you always know where to start, and indeed, what should come next. Here are two strong autobiography openings to give a sense of how yours might sound:

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

When I was born, people in our village commiserated with my mother and nobody congratulated my father. I arrived at dawn as the last star blinked out… I was a girl in a land where rifles are fired in celebration of a son, while daughters are hidden away behind a curtain, their role in life simply to prepare food and give birth to children.

Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca and William Novak:

Nicola Iacocca, my father, arrived in this country in 1902 at the age of twelve — poor, alone, and scared. He used to say the only thing he was sure of when he got here was that the world was round. And that was only because another Italian boy named Christopher Columbus had preceded him by 410 years, almost to the day.

Though each opening takes a different tack — Yousafzai’s autobiography begins with her actual birth, while Iacocca’s begins even earlier, with his father’s arrival in America — both serve as effective starts to their respective books and set the tone for what’s to come.

4. Include plenty of detail

In case we haven’t drilled down on this enough, let’s reiterate once more: an autobiography should be a complete overview of your life from beginning to end. That means that as you get into properly writing it, you should include as much detail as you can remember.

Taking one of our previous suggested beats — “your first job” — as an example, here are a few questions you might ask yourself to recount your memories in more detail:

• How did you get your first job?
• What made you want to work there?
• What was the environment/atmosphere like — physically and emotionally?
• What was your greatest accomplishment at this job? Your greatest failure?
• What did you learn from working there? How did it affect your later career?

As you can probably tell from these questions, the natural corollary to the advice of “be detailed!” is to also be honest . Don’t shy away from your failures or regrets — an autobiography without mistakes is not an autobiography, but rather a puff piece.

Examples of strong biographical detail

For those wondering how to inject detail into their writing, here are two examples from great autobiographies that do exactly that. Each takes a different approach to engage readers — perhaps you can pick up some descriptive techniques to suit your own life story.

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

There was no natural light in my cell; a single bulb burned overhead twenty-four hours a day. I did not have a wristwatch and I often thought it was the middle of the night when it was only late afternoon. I had nothing to read, nothing to write on or with, no one to talk to [...] After a time in solitary, I relished the company even of the insects in my cell, and found myself on the verge of initiating conversations with a cockroach.

This passage’s evocative details — the single lightbulb, Mandela’s loss of his internal clock — convey the crushing loneliness of solitary confinement, yet also add levity with the bit about cockroaches.

This give-and-take style may be useful if you, too, are writing an autobiography which includes difficult or traumatic elements. Don’t shy away from the hard parts, but don’t let solemnity overpower your personality and voice!

Becoming by Michelle Obama

When you’re little, a piano can look like it has a thousand keys. You’re staring at an expanse of black and white that stretches farther than two small arms can reach. [...] The keys on Robbie’s piano had a subtle unevenness of color and shape, places where bits of ivory had broken off over time, leaving them looking like a set of bad teeth.

This passage uses sensory details and an intimate tone to draw readers in, describing not just how the piano looks, but how it feels to play. All this makes for a very compelling narrative style — almost like that of a novel. If you want your autobiography to flow this way, try reading more nonfiction in this style (indeed, many memoirs read quite similarly).

📚 Looking for more examples of brilliant biographical writing? Check out this list of The 30 Best Biographies of All Time to inspire you.

5. Do research to fill in the gaps

No matter how carefully you rack your brains, you won’t be able to recall every detail of your life. That’s where research comes in! Here are a couple of things you can do to learn more about yourself and your past.

Interview friends and family

While you’ve likely retained the core of each important life memory, some details will still elude you. For these, you might call on friends, family members, and anyone else who was in your life at the time — interviewing them should help flesh things out in your autobiography.

You might try a few different interview strategies, depending on what you’re hoping to achieve:

• Ask specific questions based on what you can’t remember/don’t know (e.g. “Whose wedding was that again?” or “Why did Dad quit that job in Pasadena?”);
• Ask your subject to recount everything they can about an event (e.g. “Tell me how you remember our high school graduation”); or
• Ask them if they have any key memories of you which they would like to talk about.

The first interview style will be the quickest, but the latter two might yield more interesting results. If you’re prioritizing thoroughness, we’d highly recommend calling up a few old friends or close family members, sitting down, and recording your interview for a few hours.

Do “traditional" research if needed

Having written as much as you can, and interviewed other people to add their stories, you might still find yourself missing information. If applicable, this is where you could turn to “traditional” research — that is, looking up relevant records and documentation, or even taking a field trip or two to previous neighborhoods.

It’s up to you how far to go with this; just don’t go mad, and try to avoid any rabbit holes that tempt you to write an entirely new book. (Then again, that could always be your next project! Check out our post on how to write a nonfiction book to learn more.)

6. Give your draft a discerning edit

You’ve finally finished a detailed draft — congratulations! Even if you don’t do anything else with your autobiography, your friends and family will be wildly impressed, and your descendants will have a fascinatingly thorough record of your life.

But if you want to publish your autobiography — or even if you suspect it hasn’t turned out quite as expected — you’ll now need to enter the editing stage. There are a few different types of editing to consider for your autobiography, including:

• Structural editing to heighten the impact of your key beats;
• Line editing to improve the syntax, flow, and clarity of your sentences; and
• Fact-checking and proofreading to ensure your book doesn’t contain any errors.

Again, it’s up to you how extensively you want to edit your autobiography. If you’re doing it yourself, we’d suggest going top-to-bottom — first structural editing, then line editing, then proofreading — to avoid unnecessary work. ( Check out this post on how to self-edit your book for key tips!)

And if this all feels overwhelming, you can always work with a professional editor to get your autobiography in tip-top shape . Autobiography and memoir specialists can help turn your work into an Iacocca-worthy masterpiece.

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7. Format and publish your autobiography

Now comes the really fun part, if you so choose it — formatting and publishing your autobiography for everyone to read!

Biography fans out there will know that auto/biographies often contain a selection of personal photos within the text. If you’re envisioning this, it will require specialty formatting; you’ll either need to intersperse photos throughout the text or format your book with a “photo section” in the middle (the more common option).

You can do this with free book formatting tools like Reedsy Studio . Or if you’re not confident in your formatting abilities, consider hiring a professional typesetter to help !

As for publishing, many autobiographers choose to self-publish their books to get them out as quickly as possible, and to have more control over the process. However, if you’re interested in selling your autobiography to a publisher — a reasonable option if you are a businessperson, and especially if you already have a decent following — we’d suggest this post on how to write a non-fiction query letter to get you started.

Whatever path you take, whether you decide to publish it or not, writing the story of your life is an incredibly enlightening endeavor. If you're interested in novels instead, check out this advice from NYT bestselling author Caroline Leavitt ! We hope this guide has helped you on your journey; indeed, as autobiographical writing teaches us, the journey really is the greatest reward.

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Biography vs Autobiography: Similarities and Differences

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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A biography is an account of someone’s life story that is written by an author who is not the subject of the nook. An autobiography, on the other hand, involves an individual narrating their own life experiences.

The differences between biographies and autobiographies relate most prominently to the authorhship:

• Autobiography: When you read an autobiography, you’re getting the author’s own interpretation of their life.
• Biography: When you read a biography, you experience the subject’s life through someone else’s lens (Schiffrin & Brockmeier, 2012).

Biography vs Autobiography

1. biography.

A biography is a detailed account of a person’s life, scripted by an author who is not the person who is featured in the text itself.

This type of life story focuses both on factual events in the person’s life, such as birth, education, work, and death, but often also delves into personal aspects like experiences, relationships, and significant achievements.

It may also weave-in cultural and contextual factors that help illuminate the person’s motivations and core values .

Origins of Biographies

The concept of biography as a literary genre dates back to antiquity. Such works were primarily used to capture the lives of dignified individuals, mainly rulers and war heroes.

Suetonius’s Lives of the Caesars and Plutarch’s Parallel Lives are landmark examples from this ancient period (Sweet, 2010).

The popularity of biographical works only grew in the ensuing centuries, and they became a prominent part of many cultures’ literary traditions. 

Into the 18th century and during the Enlightenment, biographies began to present a more balanced portrayal of the subject. They would present both their strengths and flaws, providing a holistic perspective on the subject.

Dr. Samuel Johnson’s compilation of English poets biographies, Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets (1779-1781) ushered in a new era of biography writing by focusing on examining human nature (Ditchfield, 2018).

In the modern era, the genre has evolved and broadened, encompassing a diverse range of figures from all walks of life – there’s a biography in every niche imaginable, with each offering readers an in-depth exploration of their lives, their struggles, and their triumphs.

This demonstrates the enduring appeal of biographies and their value in providing snapshots of history through individual lenses.

Key Characteristics of Biographies

Examples of Biographies

Title: The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets Author: Dr. Samuel Johnson   Description: Dr. Johnson’s work profiles the lives of 52 poets from the 17th and 18th centuries, including John Milton and Alexander Pope. He critiques not just the works, but also explores their personal lives and the sociopolitical contexts of their times (Johnson, 1781). Johnson’s study is invaluable for its integrated historic and biographic approach.

Title: The Life of Samuel Johnson Author: James Boswell   Description: This work by Boswell explores, in great depth, the life of his friend and mentor, Dr. Samuel Johnson. The biography offers a compelling portrayal of Dr. Johnson’s life, character, eccentricities, and intellectual prowess (Boswell, 1791). Boswell’s vivid account creates a near-physical presence of Johnson to the readers, making it one of the greatest biographies in English literature.

Title: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Author: Edmund Morris   Description: In this Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Morris chronicles the early life of Theodore Roosevelt until his ascension to the U.S presidency. The work brilliantly captures Roosevelt’s extraordinary career and his transformation from a frail asthmatic boy into a robust and vigorous leader (Morris, 1979). Morris accurately represents Roosevelt’s indomitable spirit, making it an engaging and educational read.

Title: Steve Jobs Author: Walter Isaacson Description: This comprehensive biography provides a deep-dive into the life and career of Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple. Isaacson had unparalleled access to Jobs and those closest to him, thus presenting an intimate and detailed account. He explores Jobs’ professional endeavors as well as his personal life, revealing his ambition, intensity, and visionary mind that revolutionized several high-tech industries (Isaacson, 2011).

Title: Alexander Hamilton Author: Ron Chernow Description: Ron Chernow provides a sweeping narrative of one of America’s most compelling founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. Chernow combines extensive research with a flair for storytelling, charting Hamilton’s evolution from an orphan into a political genius. The book sheds light on Hamilton’s crucial role in the formation of the United States’ financial system and his political ideologies (Chernow, 2004).

2. Autobiography

An autobiography is a self-written record of someone’s own life. It is a personal narrative in which the author writes about their life from their own perspective.

Autobiographies are usually centered around the author’s personal experiences, including key milestones, challenges, and achievements (Eakin, 2015).

They’re also often a defense of the person’s perspective (especially in political autobiographies) or insight into their thought processes, which can make them very intimate.

Origins of Autobiographies

The term ‘autobiography’ was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English periodical The Monthly Review, when he suggested the word as a hybrid but condemned it as ‘pedantic’.

Pioneering examples of the genre form include Thomas De Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821) and the memoirs by veterans of the Napoleonic Wars (Lejeune, 2016).

However, apart from these early instances, autobiographies have been composed by a wide array of individuals from history. 

In the early 20th century, the genre witnessed major transformations, and autobiographies started to cover a broader spectrum of experiences, including trauma, struggles, and successes.

‘Black Boy’ by Richard Wright, for instance, shares the author’s experiences with racism and his journey towards developing a literary career (Wright, 1945).

This was followed by a host of autobiographies by public figures sharing their diverse stories, such as Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Moveable Feast’, depicting his days as a struggling young writer in Paris (Hemingway, 1964). 

Autobiography as a genre has continued to evolve over the years, and a variety of forms have emerged to communicate individual experiences globally.

As history has progressed, we see more and more people with diverse perspectives sharing their stories, broadening our understanding of the human experience (Smith & Watson, 2010).

Key Characteristics of Autobiographies 

Examples of Autobiographies

Title: Long Walk to Freedom Author: Nelson Mandela   Description: “Long Walk to Freedom” provides an in-depth exploration of ex-President Nelson Mandela, his political journey, and his stand against apartheid in South Africa. The biography offers a unique perspective into Mandela’s noble character, his indomitable spirit, and his commitment to justice when faced with grave adversities (Mandela, 1995). Mandela serves as one of our times’ great moral and political leaders through this biography.

Title: The Diary of a Young Girl Author: Anne Frank  Description: This biography provides a startling firsthand account of a young Jewish girl named Anne Frank, who with her family, hid from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II. Her diary entries offer profound insights into the fear, hope, and resilience she demonstrated during her two years in hiding (Frank, 1947). Frank’s posthumous biographical record serves as a reminder of the injustices of the past and as a symbol of endurance in the face of oppression.

Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Author: Maya Angelou  Description: This moving autobiography charts Maya Angelou’s early life, from experiencing racial discrimination in the South to becoming the first black streetcar conductor in San Francisco. Angelou portrays her journey of self-discovery and overcoming traumatic experiences, including racial prejudice and personal trauma, with remarkable strength and grace. Her story is one of resilience, and it speaks powerfully about finding one’s voice (Angelou, 1969). 

Title: Night Author: Elie Wiesel  Description: “Night” is Wiesel’s personal account of his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during World War II with his father. This heartbreaking narrative describes not only physical hardship and cruel atrocities but also examines the loss of innocence and the struggle to maintain faith in humanity. It stands as a testament to human resilience in the face of unimaginable horror (Wiesel, 1960).

Title: Dreams from My Father Author: Barack Obama Description: In this engaging memoir, the 44th President of the United States narrates the story of his diverse background and early life. The narrative extends from his birth in Hawaii to his first visit to Kenya, from dealing with racial identity to self-discovery. “Dreams from My Father” not only provides personal insights about Obama’s life and values but also discusses issues of race, identity, and purpose (Obama, 1995).

Similarities and Differences Between Biographies and Autobiographies

While both biographies and autobiographies are excellent sources of information and entertainment about significant figures in history (or the present!), they serve different purposes. By knowing the different purposes of each, we can develop stronger media literacy , understanding what the intention of the author is, and how we should approach the text.

Angelou, M. (1969). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings . Random House.

Baker, J., Davis, E., & Thompson, K. (2013). Reflection and Emotions in Autobiography . Chicago University Press.

Boswell, J. (1791). The Life of Samuel Johnson . J.R. Taylor.

Brown, J., & Brown, S. (2018). Thematic Focus in Autobiography Writing . Princeton University Press.

Chernow, R. (2004). Alexander Hamilton . Penguin Books.

Ditchfield, S. (2018). Extracting the Domestic from the Didactic: Transmission and Translation of the Sacred in The Lives of the Ancient Fathers (1672–1675). Church History and Religious Culture, 98 (1), 28-50.

Eakin, P. J. (2015). How Our Lives Become Stories: Making Selves . Cornell University Press.

Frank, A. (1947). The Diary of a Young Girl . Contact Publishing.

Hemingway, E. (1964). A Moveable Feast . Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Isaacson, W. (2011). Steve Jobs . Simon & Schuster.

Johnson, M., & Johnson, S. (2017). A Comprehensive Guide to Biography Writing . New York: Penguin.

Johnson, S. (1781). The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets . Printed by C. Bathurst, J. Buckland [and 28 others in London].

Jones, B. (2015). The Art of Writing Biographies: An Objective Approach . Oxford University Press.

Lejeune, P. (2016). On Autobiography . University of Minnesota Press.

Mandela, N. (1995). Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela . Macdonald Purnell.

Miller, R. (2014). The Self as the Subject: Autobiography Writing . Stanford University Press.

Morris, E. (1979). The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt . Coward, McCann & Geoghegan.

Obama, B. (1995). Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance . Crown Publishing Group.

Schiffrin D., & Brockmeier J. (2012). Narrative Identity and Autobiographical Recall. Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplements, 70 , 113-144.

Smith, J., Davis, M., & Thompson, S. (2012). Third Party Narratives: An Exploration of Biography Writing . Cambridge University Press.

Smith, S., & Watson, J. (2010). Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives . University of Minnesota Press.

Sweet, R. (2010). Biographical Dictionaries and Historiography. Bibliothèque d’Humanisme et Renaissance, 72 (2), 355–368.

Wiesel, E. (1960). Night . Hill & Wang.

Williams, T. (2019). The Importance of Facts in Biographies . HarperCollins.

Wright, R. (1945). Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth . Harper & Brothers.

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The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

By benjamin franklin, the autobiography of benjamin franklin quotes and analysis.

I saw the justice of his remark, and thence grew more attentive to the manner in writing, and determined to endeavor at improvement. About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator . It was the third. I had never before seen any of them. I bought it, read it over and over, and was much delighted with it. I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to imitate it. Franklin, 14

In this quote Franklin demonstrates several important characteristics of his personality that will lend themselves to his future success. First, he is willing to take direction and constructive criticism. Before Franklin can become a great man he needs to learn from other great men. He knows that unfettered independence is not ideal: instruction and advice from one's betters is useful for advancement. Second, he will primarily gain his reputation through writing: writing articles under the penname "Silence Dogood," publishing pieces on politics and science, writing the Autobiography, and more. Writing is a way to put one's ideas into the world, to shape one's own identity and destiny. From his earliest days Franklin sees writing as key to his future. Third, he has an intense work ethic. He commits himself fully to his endeavors, even if the work that is required is arduous and/or monotonous. Franklin hopes that other young men will be inspired by all of these characteristics.

This was the second governor who had done me the honor to take notice of me; which, to a poor boy like me, was very pleasing. Franklin, 33

Like the young heroes of dime novelist Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches tales, Franklin essentially pulls himself up by his bootstraps. He is from a humble background and only has his intellect, work ethic, and a few family ties to propel him into the world. However, he makes the best of his formidable personal traits such as charisma, ambition, and enthusiasm. He parleys these traits into influential relationships with prominent men. He knows that such connections will be useful to him, and later, when he is an influential man, he is happy to do the same.

The breaking into this money of Vernon's was one of the first great errata of my life; and this affair show'd that my father was not much out in his judgment when he suppos'd me too young to manage business of importance. Franklin, 34

Franklin uses the word "errata" to describe the mistakes he makes in his life. The term is from printing, which makes sense given his occupation and the conflation of life and writing. He sees this work as a place in which he can identify his errata, explain how he rectified them, and offer advice for his readers about avoiding similar situations in their own lives. He does, of course, elide some of the errata of which he was guilty, but overall he honestly depicts the things he regrets. Most of these center on money, such as lending out Vernon's money, spending too much in London with James Ralph so that he could not come home to Philadelphia and marry Miss Read, and trying to seduce Ralph's mistress which cut off his friendship with the young man and meant that he never got money he'd lent Ralph back.

It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist. Franklin, 56

Franklin is very clear that the teachings of traditional Protestant sects hold no sway over him. He espouses Deism, the "religion" that says that while God created the earth and everything on it, he then set it all in motion according to natural laws and stepped back, allowing it to function on its own (imagining God as a clockmaker is a good way to think about it). In his youth people labeled him an atheist, and even though he probably wasn't quite that; the only religion that matters to him is the religion of hard work and material success. He values rationality and reasonableness above all. He knows that he can achieve moral perfection without the help of religion, but notes that many of the things he identifies as virtues are the same things as religions would similarly identify.

These libraries have improved the general conversation of the Americans, made the common tradesmen and farmers as intelligent as most gentlemen from other countries, and perhaps have contributed in some degree to the stand so generally made throughout the colonies in defense of their privileges. Franklin, 69

Franklin is extremely proud of the founding of Philadelphia's library, devoting many pages of the Autobiography to its conception, formation, workings, and impact. It represents everything Franklin cares about: a truly democratic space where all people can seek, free of charge, to educate themselves and better themselves. Their resulting literacy and wisdom will lead them to more virtuous, profitable lives; he also sees these now-educated Americans as better able to understand how their rights were violated by the British and why it is important to defend said rights.

But your biography will not merely teach self-education, but the education of a wise man; and the wisest man will receive lights and improve his progress, by seeing detailed the conduct of another wise man. Benjamin Vaughn, 73

Vaughn's laudatory letter is important for a few reasons. First, it did indeed encourage Franklin to keep writing after many years' absence from the text. Second, it is, to use common parlance, a sort of "humble-brag." Franklin is worthy of everything Vaughn says, but it is still amusing that Franklin includes this letter. Third, the letter signifies that the Autobiography should (and does) become more than just one man's narrative of his life. It is a veritable self-help manual, a work that inspires and instructs. Its author is now one to emulate: the ideal, archetypal self-made man. He is proof that America can birth and fashion an exemplary man. People must read Franklin's work so they too can be exemplary.

My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judg'd it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time; and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till I should have gone thro' the thirteen; and, as the previous acquisition of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arrang'd them with that view, as they stand above. Franklin, 84

The list of virtues and concomitant plan about how to master them is one of the most famous parts of the text. Here Franklin explains in his usual rational and plain fashion his methodical, systematic approach to the virtues. It is orderly and lucid, with the virtues building upon each other. This understanding that the virtues have to be made habits rather than just idly dipped into every now and then is a brilliant, prescient observation; it undergirds our contemporary understanding of how human beings can better themselves. Beyond the history and philosophy and bildungsroman elements, this work can be viewed as a true self-help guide.

...I consider'd it as a proper vehicle for conveying instruction among the common people, who bought scarcely any other books; I therefore filled all the little spaces that occurr'd between the remarkable days in the calendar with proverbial sentences, chiefly such as inculcated industry and frugality, as the 96 means of procuring wealth, and thereby securing virtue... Franklin, 96

Franklin uses his customary form of understatement here, for Poor Richard's Almanac was profoundly popular and was one of the main contributors to his own fame. His comments on it are quite illuminating in terms of what he most values in life: wealth. Everything in the guide promotes frugality, industry, and virtue; the assumption is that assiduous practice of these things will manifest in wealth and reputation. Franklin says nothing about family, love, God, contentment with one's station in life, or intellectual fulfillment–it is all work and money.

Human felicity is produc'd not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day. Franklin, 129

Franklin is a great man but he is also a simple, humble, earthy man. He meets with kings but remembers the young poor boy he once was. He excels in science and philosophy but can appreciate the simple things in life. His advice to his readers centers on this practical, utilitarian mode of life. The simplest and efficient day-to-day things can produce contentment that may even transcend that of momentous events. Improving daily tasks, altering one's mindset, and practicing the art of industry and frugality all yield positive effects, both mentally and physically.

This whole transaction gave us Americans the first suspicion that our exalted ideas of the prowess of British regulars had not been well founded. Franklin, 143

This quote is an important one because it is one of the few explicit allusions to the coming Revolution. The French and Indian War vexes the colonists for many reasons: they don't necessarily see it as their fight, they are worried about their settlements on the frontier, and they are annoyed at being treated rudely by British troops that, as Franklin says, do not seem all that impressive when viewed in situ. After the war, the taxes levied on colonists to pay for the British debt, as well as the command that they not settle beyond the Appalachians (the Proclamation of 1763, actually passed to preclude further conflict with Indians), made the colonists start to see that their rights were being violated. Franklin's comment here is thus very prescient (although, of course, he wrote this after the Revolution).

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What plan does Ben Franklin implement so that he and his friends could have more books to read?

From the text:

About this time, our club meeting, not at a tavern, but in a little room of Mr. Grace's, set apart for that purpose, a proposition was made by me, that, since our books were often referr'd to in our disquisitions upon the queries,...

Franklin's brother encouraged his poetry writing.

I now took a fancy to poetry, and made some little pieces; my brother, thinking it might turn to account, encouraged me, and put me on composing occasional ballads.

what was benjamin franklin relationship with his brother James during childhood and adult hood?

James Franklin is Franklin's older brother, with whom he apprentices at the printinghouse. James and Franklin do not get along and Franklin runs away to Philadelphia.

Study Guide for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin study guide contains a biography of Benjamin Franklin, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin.

• In Search of the American Dream: Early Conceptions
• Benjamin Franklin: The Man Behind Himself
• Franklin's Conflicted Nonconformity: The Effects of Social Prejudice
• Enlightened Perspectives on Religion and Righteousness: Franklin's Autobiography and Paine's The Age of Reason
• Meritocracy in America: Franklin as a Reflection of His Culture

Lesson Plan for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

• Introduction

The 10 Best Bender Quotes on 'Futurama,' Ranked

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For 12 seasons , pizza-delivery boy Fry ( Billy West ) has been enjoying life after being accidentally cryogenically frozen in 1999 and awaking 1,000 years later on animated sci-fi comedy Futurama . The show first premiered in 1999 on Fox, then later moved to Comedy Central, where it was canceled in 2013 . It was finally revived by streaming service Hulu in 2023 and has been renewed through Season 14 . It was created by Matt Groening.

Out of everyone Fry has encountered, robot Bender ( John DiMaggio ) remains among the most memorable—and funniest, thanks in large part to the fact that he's kind of terrible. From his iconic catchphrase to his cynical outlook on life, his best quotes from the series perfectly demonstrate his personality and sense of humor. And no matter how mean they may be, they're also a reminder of what makes him such a beloved character.

10 "Well, if jacking on will make strangers think I’m cool, I’ll do it."

Season 1, episode 9, "hell is other robots".

In “Hell Is Other Robots,” Bender was introduced to a new drug, “jacking on,” which abused electricity. His addiction was exposed during a lightning storm, and although he briefly got clean, he soon relapsed, succumbing to just about every vice imaginable. Because of those addictions, he was condemned to robot hell. Fry and Leela ( Katey Sagal ) went to rescue him the only way the Robot Devil ( Dan Castellaneta ) would allow—by beating him in a fiddle contest.

On top of “jacking on” being innuendo, Bender’s comment on being perceived as cool touched on conformity and peer pressure, familiar themes for almost everyone . He’s willing to do just about anything if it means he’ll be seen a certain way—and he’s no stranger to addiction and vice, a dangerous combination. Not only does Bender first try the drug due to peer pressure, but that’s the very thing which motivates him through the entire episode.

9 "I hope he didn’t die. Unless he left a note naming me his successor, then I hope he did die."

Season 2, episode 10, "a clone of my own".

In “A Clone of My Own,” Professor Farnsworth ( Billy West ) created a clone of himself, Cubert ( Kath Soucie ), to mark the occasion of his 150th birthday. Concerned with his mortality, Farnsworth decided to name a successor, and although each member of the Planet Express crew thought they would be chosen, Farnsworth ultimately chose 12-year-old Cubert. While creating Cubert, Farnsworth was in his lab working for days, leading Bender to wonder if perhaps he had died.

For one brief, shining moment, Bender showed a shred of compassion and concern for someone else —then, in true Bender fashion, shattered it with selfishness. If Farnsworth’s death benefitted Bender by Bender being named Farnsworth’s successor, then Bender was all for it and didn’t care what happened, as long as he benefitted from it. On top of benefitting him, being named successor also would’ve aligned with Bender’s love of power.

8 "You know what cheers me up? Other people’s misfortune."

Season 4, episode 18, "the devil's hands are idle playthings".

Fry wanted to impress Leela and win her over by learning to play the Holophone in “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings” and became frustrated when he struggled in his lessons with the instrument. Bender took him to robot hell to meet the Robot Devil and make a deal to get robot hands, and through spinning a wheel, the donor robot ended up being the Robot Devil himself . The episode served as the series finale at the time.

Ah, good old schadenfreude. No one is immune to it , certainly not Bender. Bender might thrive on it, in fact. When Fry got frustrated with his failed attempts at learning the Holophone, Bender aimed to cheer him up with the very thing that makes Bender himself happy—other people’s misfortune. But he also followed up the offer by laughing at Fry, piling on Fry’s problems while proving such things really do make him happy.

7 “I'm so embarrassed. I wish everybody else was dead.”

Season 4, episode 13, "bend her".

In “Bend Her,” Bender believed he was a shoo-in for the robot division of the Olympic Games 3004. But after failing to win any events in bending—the very thing he was built to do—he expressed his embarrassment, declaring he wished everyone else was dead. He then posed as a fembot robot named Coilette in order to cheat, ultimately winning five medals, leading him to become an instant celebrity.

Bender’s ego is just as fragile as it is huge, so it’s no surprise that embarrassment is just about the worst thing that could happen to him . And while most people would declare they wished they were dead upon feeling extreme embarrassment, for Bender, it’s just the opposite—everyone else should go, leaving him alone. And while “Bend Her” hasn’t aged well, at least it gave us this classic quote.

6 "Game’s over, losers! I have all the money. Compare your lives to mine and then kill yourselves."

Season 2, episode 3, "a head in the polls".

During the election for President of Earth in “A Head in the Polls,” a mine accident led the price of titanium to skyrocket, making Bender’s body incredibly valuable. As a result, he sold his body to a pawn shop, leaving just his head and leading him to comment on how much money he made as a result. Meanwhile, his body ended up making its way to Richard Nixon, who entered the presidential race.

This quote perfectly exemplifies Bender’s priorities and values. He sees life as a quest to accumulate as much money as possible, and as soon as he felt he accomplished that, he declared "game over.” He felt he had the best life possible, despite being left a disembodied head whose method of travel was being kicked down the street by strangers—and despite a dog peeing on him, as though he were a fire hydrant.

5 "Anything less than immortality is a complete waste of time."

Season 6, episode 6, "lethal inspection".

In “Lethal Inspection,” after mocking the Planet Express crew for being mortal, an inspection from the Professor revealed Bender was mistakenly built without a backup unit. This meant he was effectively mortal himself, despite what he initially thought, with a lifespan of “between a minute and a billion years.” He then set out to find the inspector responsible for assessing him right after he was built—Inspector #5—and Hermes agreed to join him.

Bender’s thoughts on mortality serve as a funny commentary on the passage of time, but they also touch on something a little deeper . His lack of a backup unit means he’s just as mortal as everyone else, and part of being mortal means, of course, time is limited. Before, Bender never had to think about how he was using his time, as others would—for those who don’t have immortality, the possibility of wasting time can be a very scary one.

4 "Afterlife? If I had to go through another life, I would kill myself."

Season 3, episode 17, "a pharaoh to remember".

With the crew enslaved to help build a pyramid on a planet modeled after Ancient Egypt in “A Pharaoh to Remember,” Bender, who was previously worried no one would remember him after his death, was impressed by the monuments honoring previous rulers and began giving tips on how to get the slaves to work harder. When the planet’s pharaoh was killed after the nose fell off of a statue of himself and crushed him—just as he was about to free the slaves—Bender was made Pharaoh.

Despite Bender’s desire to live forever—and leave a legacy—he seemed to hate life and was certainly opposed to the idea of an afterlife. While the idea of an afterlife is a huge part of many of the world’s religions and can serve as both a motivator to live a good life and a comfort to those afraid of death, Bender didn’t see the appeal. To him, the next life is surely just as terrible as this one .

3 "This is the worst kind of discrimination there is: the kind against me!"

Season 2, episode 17, "war is the h-word".

In "War Is the H-Word,” Bender and Fry tried unsuccessfully to buy ham-flavored gum using a military discount, because, as the clerk informed them, military discounts can only be used by individuals in the military. To get the discount, the two then joined the military, unaware Earth was about to go to war. Seconds after enlisting, war was declared, and the two—along with Leela, disguised as a man—were sent to the front lines.

Bender’s observation on discrimination is perfectly in line with his selfish tendencies —he cares the most when he’s affected, and the biggest problems are those hurting him directly. In this situation, it’s particularly ridiculous (and hilarious) because, of course, he’s not really being discriminated against. But it’s more than just a funny line, as it reflects the very real issue of some people only caring about a problem when, like Bender, it affects them.

2 "Life is about decisions. Make the wrong ones and you’ll wind up face down in a pool of your own blood and urine."

Season 7, episode 9, "free will hunting".

After getting arrested, Bender learned during his trial that robots don’t have free will and therefore cannot be charged with crimes in “Free Will Hunting,” leading the judge to rule he was not guilty and causing Bender to feel depressed. Later, when the Planet Express crew delivered a package to the robot homeworld, Bender opted to stay and began a search for the meaning of life, which included a visit to a robot monastery.

Bender’s memorable quote from “Free Will Hunting” is typical of him, full of cynicism and dark humor, and it called back to a statement earlier in the episode about decisions opening up a universe of possibilities. But he also had a point. In a sense, life really is a series of choices, big and small, which can have long-lasting impact , from who we spend our time with to what career we pursue. The wrong choices can have dire consequences.

1 "Bite my shiny metal ass!"

Season 1, episode 1, "space pilot 3000".

In the very first episode of Futurama , Fry encountered a suicide booth—which he mistook for a phone booth—where he first met Bender, a suicidal robot fresh off of leaving his job of bending girders to be used in suicide booths. After evading the booth, the two became friends and remain best friends to this day. The very first words spoken by Bender in the series were, “Bite my shiny metal ass.”

“Bite my shiny metal ass” is essentially Bender’s catchphrase at this point —and the catchphrase for the whole show—and perfectly encapsulates his abrasive character. He says it often, perhaps more than one can count, and so much so that the phrase is among his most-used words. He has adapted it to suit his needs in any given moment, from “red-hot glowing” to “frozen” and seemingly everything imaginable in between.

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NEXT: 10 Best 'Futurama' Quotes, Ranked

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