--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I go back and read my journals or…" description: "\"When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still exist and I know they a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/amy-tan-730_always_when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-f_130460.jpg" --- # When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am… ![“When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still exist and I know they are mine, and it's all part of making sense of who I am.” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/amy-tan-730_always_when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-f_130460.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/amy-tan-730_always_when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-f_130460.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/amy-tan-730_always_when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-f_130460.jpg) > “When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still exist and I know they are mine, and it's all part of making sense of who I am.” [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. Reflecting on past writings reveals hidden thoughts that shape self‑understanding, even when forgotten. **In simple terms:** Reading old journals shows unseen parts of yourself. Key Takeaway Use past writing to map personal growth. Themes self‑discovery reflection identity memory Mood introspective curious Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative writing - personal journaling - life coaching Key Concepts psychology narrative identity self‑concept Questions to Reflect On - What hidden patterns emerge from your old writings? - How can you integrate forgotten thoughts into your present self? A Different Perspective Memory can be selective, so insights may be incomplete. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/am/) [Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-surprised-1453503/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having/) [Having Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-thoughts-630186/) [I am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-am/) [I may not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-may-not/) [Journals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journals/) [Journals Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journals-fiction-1496512/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Mine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mine/) [Part](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/part/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprised/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) [Thoughts Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-exist-1496511/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [I'm more thrilled by the short fiction than I expected to be. 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Our times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erlend-loe/we-shall-never-meet-but-there-is-something-i-want-you-to-know-my-time/) [Erlend Loe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erlend-loe/) > [“Still, though, I can't be sure if the zoo as I recall it was really like that. How can I put it? I sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/still-though-i-can-t-be-sure-if-the-zoo-as-i-recall-it-was-really/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Meditation is generally an alternation between the feeling of bliss and the witnessing of a thought having a problem with the having of thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/meditation-is-generally-an-alternation-between-the-feeling-of-bliss/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“I was having thoughts and feelings I knew I shouldn't be having, and it was scaring the shit out of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/i-was-having-thoughts-and-feelings-i-knew-i-shouldn-t-be-having-and/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [One Of The Main Reasons You May Become Stressed Is A Direct Result Of Having Too Many Thoughts Bouncing Around In Your Head. Try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/one-of-the-main-reasons-you-may-become-stressed-is-a-direct-result-of/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [I don't theorize too much. I sort of let the experience sink in, and I have to discover what the character is by doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-clayburgh/i-don-t-theorize-too-much-i-sort-of-let-the-experience-sink-in-and-i/) [Jill Clayburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-clayburgh/) > [“Have you no thoughts on the matter?" Blushweaver finally asked. "I try to avoid having thoughts. They lead to other thoughts, and-if you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/have-you-no-thoughts-on-the-matter-blushweaver-finally-asked-i-try-to/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [All of a sudden, I'm thinking that if I keep eating the way I'm eating, I'm not going to live long and I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-simmons/all-of-a-sudden-i-m-thinking-that-if-i-keep-eating-the-way-i-m-eating/) [Richard Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-simmons/) ## 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/) > [“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/) > [“Was there ever a true great love? Anyone who became the object of my obsession and not simply my affections? I honestly don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/was-there-ever-a-true-great-love-anyone-who-became-the-object-of-my/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) [Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. 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If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. 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