--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Forgetting! It is a form of suicide, a…" description: "\"“Forgetting! It is a form of suicide, a renunciation of the only good the we truly and ineluctably possess: the past. For if joys alone were forgotten,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/003/anonymous-1_forgetting_forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-ren_264208.jpg" --- # Forgetting! It is a form of suicide, a renunciation of the… ![“Forgetting! It is a form of suicide, a renunciation of the only good the we truly and ineluctably possess: the past. For if joys alone were forgotten, perhaps oblivion would be justly desired. But we are proud and jealous of our sorrows, we love them, we want to remember them. It is they that…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/003/anonymous-1_forgetting_forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-ren_264208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/003/anonymous-1_forgetting_forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-ren_264208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/003/anonymous-1_forgetting_forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-ren_264208.jpg) > ““Forgetting! It is a form of suicide, a renunciation of the only good the we truly and ineluctably possess: the past. For if joys alone were forgotten, perhaps oblivion would be justly desired. But we are proud and jealous of our sorrows, we love them, we want to remember them. It is they that comprise the crown of life.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that forgetting the past, especially painful memories, is akin to self‑destruction because our sorrows shape our identity and give meaning to life. **In simple terms:** Forgetting past hurts destroys part of who we are. Key Takeaway Cherish both joy and sorrow as parts of life. Themes memory identity pain meaning Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - personal reflection - creative writing - therapy - historical analysis Key Concepts existentialism psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What role do painful memories play in your sense of self? - How can you honor sorrow without being consumed by it? A Different Perspective Neglecting the value of joy can lead to a bleak outlook on life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We, who are the living, possess the past. Tomorrow is for our martyrs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-farmer-jr/we-who-are-the-living-possess-the-past-tomorrow-is-for-our-martyrs/) [James L. Farmer, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-farmer-jr/) > [To possess is past the instant; we achieve the joy, immortality contented, were anomaly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/to-possess-is-past-the-instant-we-achieve-the-joy-immortality/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives, and remembering what one receives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-consists-in-forgetting-what-one-gives-and-remembering-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It is about letting go of another person's throat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgiveness-is-not-about-forgetting-it-is-about-letting-go-of-another/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgetting about yesterday, thinking for today, wondering what tomorrow will bring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-about-yesterday-thinking-for-today-wondering-what-tomorrow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgetting someone is not that easy , more you like that person so much ..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-someone-is-not-that-easy-more-you-like-that-person-so-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Cross the line if you feel that your best friend is forgetting you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cross-the-line-if-you-feel-that-your-best-friend-is-forgetting-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought about forgetting about you, but it just never works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-thought-about-forgetting-about-you-but-it-just-never-works/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I Think That Its Important to Let Go Of Someone You Love When He Doesn't love you.Your Not the Only One with Feelings too.And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-that-its-important-to-let-go-of-someone-you-love-when-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stories set in the Culture in which Things Went Wrong tended to start with humans losing or forgetting or deliberately leaving behind their terminal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stories-set-in-the-culture-in-which-things-went-wrong-tended-to-start/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't delete people out of your life . Forgetting them is hard and ignoring them doesn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-delete-people-out-of-your-life-forgetting-them-is-hard-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That feeling you get when you know you are forgetting something, but you don't know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-feeling-you-get-when-you-know-you-are-forgetting-something-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Moving on isnt forgetting the past, its learning from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moving-on-isnt-forgetting-the-past-its-learning-from-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-focus-on-this-one-thing-forgetting-the-past-and-looking-forward-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most painful thing in life is losing yourself in the process of valuing someone too much & forgetting that you are special too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-painful-thing-in-life-is-losing-yourself-in-the-process-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Forgetting quotes > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [The most painful thing in life is losing yourself in the process of valuing someone too much & forgetting that you are special too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-painful-thing-in-life-is-losing-yourself-in-the-process-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-focus-on-this-one-thing-forgetting-the-past-and-looking-forward-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [If you can't forgive and forget, pick only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brault/if-you-can-t-forgive-and-forget-pick-only-one/) [Robert Brault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brault/) > [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“Several times that day, the name or thought of Papa had come up. And each time, Francie had felt a flash of tenderness instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/several-times-that-day-the-name-or-thought-of-papa-had-come-up-and/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Falling out of love is chiefly a matter of forgetting how charming someone is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/falling-out-of-love-is-chiefly-a-matter-of-forgetting-how-charming/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“She's sure, absolutely sure, that what she's waiting for will happen, just the way she wants it to; and I'm so uncertain, so fearful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/she-s-sure-absolutely-sure-that-what-she-s-waiting-for-will-happen/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [Im afraid of being forgotten. Because, it seems everyone I get close to, ends up forgetting me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arcine-arciniegas/im-afraid-of-being-forgotten-because-it-seems-everyone-i-get-close-to/) [Arcine Arciniegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arcine-arciniegas/) > [“Keeping histories is as much about knowing what needs forgetting as what ought to be remembered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-bobet/keeping-histories-is-as-much-about-knowing-what-needs-forgetting-as/) [Leah Bobet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-bobet/) > [“Forgetting is what nature does best. The universe is a huge forgetting machine. It erases information no matter how hard we try to hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ives-gilman/forgetting-is-what-nature-does-best-the-universe-is-a-huge-forgetting/) Carolyn Ives Gilman > [“Who was it said, ‘We forget because we must’? He was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/who-was-it-said-we-forget-because-we-must-he-was-right/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [Moving on isnt forgetting the past, its learning from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moving-on-isnt-forgetting-the-past-its-learning-from-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,010 Forgetting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Forgetting! It is a form of suicide, a renunciation of the only good the we truly and ineluctably possess: the past. For if joys alone were forgotten, perhaps oblivion would be justly desired. But we are proud and jealous of our sorrows, we love them, we want to remember them. It is they that comprise the crown of life.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-renunciation-of-the-only-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forgetting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-renunciation-of-the-only-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/003/anonymous-1_forgetting_forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-ren_264208.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/003/anonymous-1_forgetting_forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-ren_264208.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/003/anonymous-1_forgetting_forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-ren_264208.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Forgetting! It is a form of suicide, a renunciation of the only good the we truly and ineluctably possess…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Forgetting! It is a form of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-renunciation-of-the-only-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-it-is-a-form-of-suicide-a-renunciation-of-the-only-good/#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 } } ] } ```