People keep diaries for a variety of reasons, whether to help recall past events, to express inner thoughts and feelings, or simply to enhance writing skills. Diaries can be useful tools, which perhaps explains why humans have been keeping them for a long, long time. The earliest known book written in the form of a journal is the Diary of Merer, an ancient Egyptian logbook that details the daily activities of the titular Merer, written in hieroglyphs some 4,500 years ago.
Many of the most famous diaries were never meant to be published, and in many cases only found their way into the public domain after the writer had passed away. Sometimes raw, unvarnished, and brutally honest, they offer a purity of insight into the diarist’s life, and often — especially in the case of professional writers and other artists — a fascinating look into the creative process and all the challenges involved. Here are some quotes from some of the most famous diarists throughout history, from Samuel Pepys to Susan Sontag.
I would not sell my liberty to any man.Samuel Pepys, one of the most famous diarists of all time, served under King Charles II and King James II and wrote, firsthand, of pivotal events such as the Great Plague of London, the Second Dutch War and the Great Fire of London.
Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.Isabelle Eberhardt was a Swiss explorer and author who recorded her strange and passionate nomadic lifestyle in her deeply personal diary.
Very sad news was received this morning of the murder of the President. The city is in deep mourning.Emilie Davis, a free African American woman living in Philadelphia during the Civil War, kept a diary from 1863 to 1865, providing her perspective on, among other things, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the death of President Lincoln.
Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman.Captain Robert Falcon Scott led the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole in 1910; his diary is one of the most poignant and haunting ever written.
Don't despair, not even over the fact that you don't despair. Just when everything seems over with, new forces come marching up, and precisely that means that you are alive.Franz Kafka’s diaries stretch from 1910 to 1923 (a year before his death) and provide fascinating insight into his daily life, his often frustrated artistic process, and the background to some of his most famous works.
I will not be “famous,” “great.” I will go on adventuring, changing, opening my mind and my eyes, refusing to be stamped and stereotyped. The thing is to free one’s self: to let it find its dimensions, not be impeded.Virginia Woolf left behind 26 volumes of her handwritten diary, in which she reflects on life, love, and the art of writing in her own unique and beautiful fashion.
People are not born brave, strong, and smart. These qualities must be acquired through perseverance and with determination, like the ability to read and write.Lena Mukhina was a Russian woman who, while still a teenage schoolgirl, kept a diary during the brutal Siege of Leningrad in World War II, which she managed to survive.
When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived! But, and that’s a big question, will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or a writer? I hope so, oh, I hope so very much.Anne Frank, who died in the Holocaust when she was only 15, wrote what became perhaps the most famous diary of all time: the posthumously published Diary of a Young Girl.
Only one mountain can know the core of another mountain.Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter whose vibrant diary covers the last 10 years of her colorful life, from 1944 to 1954.
The secret of a full life is to live and relate to others as if they might not be there tomorrow, as if you might not be there tomorrow.Anaïs Nin was a diarist, essayist, and novelist who kept a diary from age 11 until her death in 1977 at the age of 73, providing profoundly explorative insight into her personal life and relationships.
Maybe that’s why I write — in a journal. That feels “right.” I know I’m alone, that I’m the only reader of what I write here — but the knowledge isn’t painful, on the contrary I feel stronger for it, stronger each time I write something down.Susan Sontag was an American writer, philosopher, and political activist; she filled almost 100 journals and notebooks during her life, containing her private thoughts since adolescence until the age of 71.
Photo credit: IanDagnall Computing/ Alamy Stock Photo
