"I'm older than my sister so I started writing first. I started writing at school. I was always top of my class in composition, essays, English Lit and all of that"
About this Quote
The schoolroom credentials do double duty. On the surface, it’s wholesome proof of aptitude: composition, essays, English Lit. Underneath, it’s a rebuttal to the assumption that actresses are merely faces. Collins is doing reputational labor, staking a claim to authorship and intellect in a culture that often treats celebrity memoirs and novels as vanity projects with a ghostwriter lurking offstage.
The specificity of subjects matters, too. She isn’t bragging about being “smart” in the abstract; she’s naming the tools of storytelling, the disciplines of persuasion. That’s where the line gains bite: it reframes her later public persona not as something manufactured by studios, but as an extension of a lifelong competence with narrative, character, and scene.
Context sharpens the intent. Collins came up through mid-century British and Hollywood systems that rewarded glamour while policing women’s ambition. By anchoring her authority in school performance, she offers a socially acceptable origin for drive: not hunger, not ego, but merit. It’s self-mythology with a report card attached.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Collins, Joan. (2026, January 16). I'm older than my sister so I started writing first. I started writing at school. I was always top of my class in composition, essays, English Lit and all of that. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-older-than-my-sister-so-i-started-writing-100582/
Chicago Style
Collins, Joan. "I'm older than my sister so I started writing first. I started writing at school. I was always top of my class in composition, essays, English Lit and all of that." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-older-than-my-sister-so-i-started-writing-100582/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'm older than my sister so I started writing first. I started writing at school. I was always top of my class in composition, essays, English Lit and all of that." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-older-than-my-sister-so-i-started-writing-100582/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.





