---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The writer, Katherine Anne Porter…"
description: "\"“The writer, Katherine Anne Porter, comments in her Notebooks that “[o]ne of the most disturbing habits of the human mind is its willful and destructiv..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/anonymous-1_forgetting_the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comment_2752940.jpg"
---

#  The writer, Katherine Anne Porter, comments in her…

![“The writer, Katherine Anne Porter, comments in her Notebooks that “&#91;o&#93;ne of the most disturbing habits of the human mind is its willful and destructive forgetting of whatever in its past does not flatter or confirm its present point of view.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/anonymous-1_forgetting_the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comment_2752940.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/anonymous-1_forgetting_the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comment_2752940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/anonymous-1_forgetting_the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comment_2752940.jpg)

> ““The writer, Katherine Anne Porter, comments in her Notebooks that “\[o\]ne of the most disturbing habits of the human mind is its willful and destructive forgetting of whatever in its past does not flatter or confirm its present point of view.””

[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.

People tend to forget uncomfortable past facts, shaping narratives to fit current beliefs.

**In simple terms:** We forget painful history to protect our views.

Key Takeaway

Seek truth beyond bias.

Themes

psychology memory history

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- academic research
- media analysis

Key Concepts

cognitive bias selective forgetting self‑deception

Questions to Reflect On

- What have you forgotten that matters?
- How does forgetting affect decisions?

A Different Perspective

May overlook valuable lessons.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Destructive Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive-forgetting-3112785/) [Disturbing Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturbing-habits-3112784/) [Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/) [Forgetting Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting-past-288654/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Writer Katherine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-katherine-3112786/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [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 about the past will make things better for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-about-the-past-will-make-things-better-for-the-future/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Unaffected by your presence, forgetting your past glory. Forgetting the memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unaffected-by-your-presence-forgetting-your-past-glory-forgetting-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The key of my happiness, just forgetting my past..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-key-of-my-happiness-just-forgetting-my-past/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-the-past-and-looking-forward-to-what-lies-ahead/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Moving on with my life forgetting the past looking forward to a brighter future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moving-on-with-my-life-forgetting-the-past-looking-forward-to-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Workin on the future, forgetting the past. Now if I could make it all last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/workin-on-the-future-forgetting-the-past-now-if-i-could-make-it-all/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forgetting the past &amp; moving on, that's our only thing we can work on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-the-past-moving-on-that-s-our-only-thing-we-can-work-on/)

[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/)

> [Our present era, to my mind, is characterized by a profound forgetting of the past. "The future, the future, the future." The 21st century,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/how-to-dress-well/our-present-era-to-my-mind-is-characterized-by-a-profound-forgetting/)

[How to Dress Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/how-to-dress-well/)

> [Forgetting the past is almost impossible, accepting the past takes effort but is the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-clemons/forgetting-the-past-is-almost-impossible-accepting-the-past-takes/)

[Suzanne Clemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-clemons/)

> [Create the future by controlling the present and forgetting the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-the-future-by-controlling-the-present-and-forgetting-the-past/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The hardest thing about moving on is forgetting the past, but the hardest part about forgetting the past is moving on..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-hardest-thing-about-moving-on-is-forgetting-the-past-but-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forgetting the past is forgetting our roots and our basic structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-the-past-is-forgetting-our-roots-and-our-basic-structure/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forgetting the past is difficult, remembering it is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetting-the-past-is-difficult-remembering-it-is-worse/)

[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 &amp; 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“The writer, Katherine Anne Porter, comments in her Notebooks that “[o]ne of the most disturbing habits of the human mind is its willful and destructive forgetting of whatever in its past does not flatter or confirm its present point of view.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comments-in-her-notebooks-that-o-ne/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Forgetting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comments-in-her-notebooks-that-o-ne/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/anonymous-1_forgetting_the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comment_2752940.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/anonymous-1_forgetting_the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comment_2752940.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/anonymous-1_forgetting_the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comment_2752940.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The writer, Katherine Anne Porter, comments in her Notebooks that “[o]ne of the most disturbing habits of…” — 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": "“The writer, Katherine Anne Porter, comments...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comments-in-her-notebooks-that-o-ne/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-writer-katherine-anne-porter-comments-in-her-notebooks-that-o-ne/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
