--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The moment is altered as soon as I try to…" description: "\"“The moment is altered as soon as I try to capture it, so for me, it’s impossible.” How true, I thought. Moments are gone as soon as you think about th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/amy-tan-730_moment_the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-t_368645.jpg" --- # The moment is altered as soon as I try to capture it, so… ![“The moment is altered as soon as I try to capture it, so for me, it’s impossible.” How true, I thought. Moments are gone as soon as you think about them.” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/amy-tan-730_moment_the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-t_368645.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/amy-tan-730_moment_the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-t_368645.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/amy-tan-730_moment_the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-t_368645.jpg) > ““The moment is altered as soon as I try to capture it, so for me, it’s impossible.” How true, I thought. Moments are gone as soon as you think about them.”” [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting to capture a moment changes it, making true preservation impossible. **In simple terms:** Capturing moments changes them, making them fleeting. Key Takeaway Live fully without trying to freeze experiences. Themes impermanence memory presence Mood thoughtful philosophical Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - photography - journaling - mindful observation - live in the now Key Concepts subjectivity temporal perception mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of impermanence affect your actions? - Can you cherish moments without trying to own them? A Different Perspective Attempting to document can still hold value if done mindfully. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [My first thought in moments of darkness and doubt is, "Who can I call? Who can I share this with?" Connection and sharing saves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-park/my-first-thought-in-moments-of-darkness-and-doubt-is-who-can-i-call/) [Jane Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-park/) > [“One specific, profound moment isn’t what you are supposed to spend your life looking for Ellie. Your life should include a billion different instances;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-janey/one-specific-profound-moment-isn-t-what-you-are-supposed-to-spend/) C.S. Janey > [“And so you worried about not remembering what happened in between the things you wrote down. You had lived those moments too. Where had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douard-lev/and-so-you-worried-about-not-remembering-what-happened-in-between-the/) [Édouard Levé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douard-lev/) > [“Bliss is the moments you're with me / when you're gone my life hurts like hell / but I'll do anything to me happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/bliss-is-the-moments-you-re-with-me-when-you-re-gone-my-life-hurts/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [Life is like time.We can never get the moments gone, only regrets are left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-time-we-can-never-get-the-moments-gone-only-regrets-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Look not to the past where you were embarrassed, for the most important thing is that those moments are gone, and you are still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/look-not-to-the-past-where-you-were-embarrassed-for-the-most/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [She stood beside me for years, or was it a moment? I cannot remember. Maybe I loved her, maybe I didn't. There was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/she-stood-beside-me-for-years-or-was-it-a-moment-i-cannot-remember/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [There was a stage in my career when I started to have problems with the vanity aspect of the subject. I got frustrated and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juergen-teller/there-was-a-stage-in-my-career-when-i-started-to-have-problems-with/) [Juergen Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juergen-teller/) > [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [There were moments, of course. Those small spaces in time, too soon gone, when everything seems to stand still, and existence is balanced on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/there-were-moments-of-course-those-small-spaces-in-time-too-soon-gone/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Any moment,everything can change.. - Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/any-moment-everything-can-change-hilary-duff/) [Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) ## More by Amy Tan > [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. That becomes part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/shanghainese-people-are-good-negotiators-they-re-very-persistent-and/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [You should think about your character. Know where you are changing, how you will be changed, what cannot be changed back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-should-think-about-your-character-know-where-you-are-changing-how/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-hid-my-deepest-feelings-so-well-i-forgot-where-i-placed-them/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“Lebih baik jadi orang yang TIDAK TERLUPAKAN daripada orang yang MEMBOSANKAN -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lebih-baik-jadi-orang-yang-tidak-terlupakan-daripada-orang-yang/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-ashamed-she-is-ashamed-because-she-is-my-daughter-and-i-am-proud/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) [Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## More Moment quotes > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [“Enjoy small moments as they come. At the end, That's what makes life worthwhile...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadun-lokuliyanage/enjoy-small-moments-as-they-come-at-the-end-that-s-what-makes-life/) Nadun Lokuliyanage > [“Will you destroy something in order to make it beautiful? Will you avoid something in order to fall in love with it? Will you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-hassan-barbhuiya/will-you-destroy-something-in-order-to-make-it-beautiful-will-you/) [Hanif Hassan Barbhuiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-hassan-barbhuiya/) > [Any moment,everything can change.. - Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/any-moment-everything-can-change-hilary-duff/) [Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Professionally speaking, the proudest moment was when I booked the 'Human Stain.' I knew it had Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Gary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/professionally-speaking-the-proudest-moment-was-when-i-booked-the/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [It's you. It's been you for the past 7 months, since the moment we started talking. It's you at 2am or it's you at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn/it-s-you-it-s-been-you-for-the-past-7-months-since-the-moment-we/) [Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn/) > [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) > [“In this moment, I'm yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/in-this-moment-i-m-yours/) [Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/) > [You'll never see me coming around the corner not smiling... I mean, I enjoy every moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquem-griffin/you-ll-never-see-me-coming-around-the-corner-not-smiling-i-mean-i/) [Shaquem Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquem-griffin/) > [Brian Johnson, AC/DC, singing 'The Hokey Pokey' with him - I'll take that over any other moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-breuer/brian-johnson-ac-dc-singing-the-hokey-pokey-with-him-i-ll-take-that/) [Jim Breuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-breuer/) > [There were moments, of course. Those small spaces in time, too soon gone, when everything seems to stand still, and existence is balanced on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/there-were-moments-of-course-those-small-spaces-in-time-too-soon-gone/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [There was a stage in my career when I started to have problems with the vanity aspect of the subject. I got frustrated and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juergen-teller/there-was-a-stage-in-my-career-when-i-started-to-have-problems-with/) [Juergen Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juergen-teller/) [Browse all 5,869 Moment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The moment is altered as soon as I try to capture it, so for me, it’s impossible.” How true, I thought. Moments are gone as soon as you think about them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amy Tan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-to-capture-it-so-for-me-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Moment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-to-capture-it-so-for-me-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/amy-tan-730_moment_the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-t_368645.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/amy-tan-730_moment_the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-t_368645.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/amy-tan-730_moment_the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-t_368645.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The moment is altered as soon as I try to capture it, so for me, it’s impossible.” How true, I thought…” — Amy Tan", "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": "Amy Tan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The moment is altered as soon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-to-capture-it-so-for-me-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/the-moment-is-altered-as-soon-as-i-try-to-capture-it-so-for-me-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```