--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, I don't keep a journal. How you…" description: "\"Oh, I don't keep a journal. How you remember an incident is dictated by your emotional state at the time. How you receive the information that is comin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/alexandra-fuller-7586_history_oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-rememb_683886.png" --- # Oh, I don't keep a journal. How you remember an incident… ![“Oh, I don't keep a journal. How you remember an incident is dictated by your emotional state at the time. How you receive the information that is coming in is definitely based on your history and who you are.” quote by Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/alexandra-fuller-7586_history_oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-rememb_683886.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/alexandra-fuller-7586_history_oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-rememb_683886.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/alexandra-fuller-7586_history_oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-rememb_683886.png) > “Oh, I don't keep a journal. How you remember an incident is dictated by your emotional state at the time. How you receive the information that is coming in is definitely based on your history and who you are.” [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Memory is shaped by emotional state and personal history, indicating that recollection is subjective and biased. **In simple terms:** Memory depends on emotions and history. Key Takeaway Recognize memory’s subjectivity. Themes memory subjectivity emotion Mood introspective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - journaling - storytelling Key Concepts psychology personal narrative bias Questions to Reflect On - How does mood affect your recall? - Can you separate fact from feeling? A Different Perspective Journaling can help clarify biased recollections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [But today when I am 17 and warm and well fed, I'm keeping this journal for myself so I can always remember life as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/but-today-when-i-am-17-and-warm-and-well-fed-i-m-keeping-this-journal/) [Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/) > [Clairvoyant, Hornblower could foresee that in a year's time, the world would hardy remember the incident. In twenty years, it would be entirely forgotten.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/clairvoyant-hornblower-could-foresee-that-in-a-year-s-time-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When you fall, you must remember to let go of the rope!” They both laughed out loud at this lighthearted lesson because the need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/when-you-fall-you-must-remember-to-let-go-of-the-rope-they-both/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [When I was a kid and my parents started talking about politics, I'd run to my room and put on the Rolling Stones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/when-i-was-a-kid-and-my-parents-started-talking-about-politics-i-d/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [My standup persona is like I'll heighten things, but I'm observing the world as it is in sort of a heightened emotional state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mulaney/my-standup-persona-is-like-i-ll-heighten-things-but-i-m-observing-the/) [John Mulaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mulaney/) > [There's usually a rhythm and a melody in my head, and that creates an emotional state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-jenkins/there-s-usually-a-rhythm-and-a-melody-in-my-head-and-that-creates-an/) [Stephan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-jenkins/) > [“It was a lesson he’d never forgotten. That humans only have so much emotional energy. No matter how intense the situation, or how powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/it-was-a-lesson-he-d-never-forgotten-that-humans-only-have-so-much/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [You can talk yourself into a good emotional state. I stop for a second, take a deep breath, and think about something that's beautiful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montel-williams/you-can-talk-yourself-into-a-good-emotional-state-i-stop-for-a-second/) [Montel Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montel-williams/) > [This principle applies to your family pet, for instance, which I believe are wonderful because they put you into a great emotional state. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur-ray/this-principle-applies-to-your-family-pet-for-instance-which-i/) [James Arthur Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur-ray/) > [Things looked funny because my pictures depend on an emotional state... I know this is true and I thought about this for a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-woodman/things-looked-funny-because-my-pictures-depend-on-an-emotional-state/) [Francesca Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-woodman/) > [The way one sees is also dependent upon one's emotional state of mind. This is why a motif can be looked at in so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-way-one-sees-is-also-dependent-upon-one-s-emotional-state-of-mind/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [The emotional state that leads to achievements resembles that of a worshiper or the lover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-emotional-state-that-leads-to-achievements-resembles-that-of-a/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Enthusiasm is not an emotional state. It is a spiritual commitment, a loving surrender to our creative process. Enthusiasm - from the Greek, filled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/enthusiasm-is-not-an-emotional-state-it-is-a-spiritual-commitment-a/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [I am very conscious of the viewer because that's where the art takes place. My work really strives to put the viewer in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/i-am-very-conscious-of-the-viewer-because-that-s-where-the-art-takes/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [Grief is an emotion that's almost unplayable because you're in a separate emotional state; it's an inconsolable emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/grief-is-an-emotion-that-s-almost-unplayable-because-you-re-in-a/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) ## More by Alexandra Fuller > [“Toasted tobacco, no additives,' I said. 'Yum. Tastes like childhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/toasted-tobacco-no-additives-i-said-yum-tastes-like-childhood/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [I don't think we have all the words in a single vocabulary to explain what we are or why we are. I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/i-don-t-think-we-have-all-the-words-in-a-single-vocabulary-to-explain/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [In the West, it was believed that attitude and ambition saved you. In Africa, we had learned that no one was immune to capricious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/in-the-west-it-was-believed-that-attitude-and-ambition-saved-you-in/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [I listen mostly to classical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/i-listen-mostly-to-classical-music/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [What is important is the story. Because when we are all dust and teeth and kicked-up bits of skin - when we're dancing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/what-is-important-is-the-story-because-when-we-are-all-dust-and-teeth/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [One of the things about being raised British in Africa is that you get this double whammy of toughness. The continent in place itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/one-of-the-things-about-being-raised-british-in-africa-is-that-you/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [“How much strength must one people have? And for how long must they have it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/how-much-strength-must-one-people-have-and-for-how-long-must-they/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [In general, I almost always watch foreign films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/in-general-i-almost-always-watch-foreign-films/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [I think that being raised the way I was, where everything was so uncompromising, where, you know, we're prepared to fight to the death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/i-think-that-being-raised-the-way-i-was-where-everything-was-so/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [This is not a full circle. It's life carrying on. It's the next breath we all take. It's the choice we make to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/this-is-not-a-full-circle-it-s-life-carrying-on-it-s-the-next-breath/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [“The schools wear the blank faces of war buildings, their windows blown blind by rocks or guns or mortars. Their plaster is an acne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/the-schools-wear-the-blank-faces-of-war-buildings-their-windows-blown/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [Until I read Anne Frank's diary, I had found books a literal escape from what could be the harsh reality around me. After I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/until-i-read-anne-frank-s-diary-i-had-found-books-a-literal-escape/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [I adore my family. I don't love their politics. I think they're wonderful parents. They were dreadful at parenting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/i-adore-my-family-i-don-t-love-their-politics-i-think-they-re/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [It seems very clear to me that we, in the West, cannot afford to continue assuming propriety over the world's resources in a careless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/it-seems-very-clear-to-me-that-we-in-the-west-cannot-afford-to/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [Retaining culture takes effort and persistence and discipline. It's a commitment, not a flag. You can't just pull it out and wave it about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/retaining-culture-takes-effort-and-persistence-and-discipline-it-s-a/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) [Explore all 89 Alexandra Fuller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Oh, I don't keep a journal. How you remember an incident is dictated by your emotional state at the time. How you receive the information that is coming in is definitely based on your history and who you are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alexandra Fuller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-remember-an-incident-is-dictated-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-remember-an-incident-is-dictated-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/alexandra-fuller-7586_history_oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-rememb_683886.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/alexandra-fuller-7586_history_oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-rememb_683886.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/alexandra-fuller-7586_history_oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-rememb_683886.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Oh, I don't keep a journal. How you remember an incident is dictated by your emotional state at the time…” — Alexandra Fuller", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alexandra Fuller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Oh, I don't keep a journal....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-remember-an-incident-is-dictated-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/oh-i-don-t-keep-a-journal-how-you-remember-an-incident-is-dictated-by/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```