--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One's first memories are often vicarious…" description: "\"“One's first memories are often vicarious: one is told that one did something or was involved in something; one dramatizes it and folds the image false..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4d/anthony-burgess-1167_anthony-burgess_one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious_2033665.jpg" --- # One's first memories are often vicarious: one is told that… ![“One's first memories are often vicarious: one is told that one did something or was involved in something; one dramatizes it and folds the image falsely into the annals of the truly remembered.” quote by Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4d/anthony-burgess-1167_anthony-burgess_one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious_2033665.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4d/anthony-burgess-1167_anthony-burgess_one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious_2033665.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4d/anthony-burgess-1167_anthony-burgess_one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious_2033665.jpg) > ““One's first memories are often vicarious: one is told that one did something or was involved in something; one dramatizes it and folds the image falsely into the annals of the truly remembered.”” [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Memories can be constructed from stories told by others, blending fact and imagination into personal history. **In simple terms:** Memories may be shaped by others' stories. Key Takeaway Recognize and question the origins of your memories. Themes memory identity storytelling Mood reflective curious Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - family storytelling - personal reflection - therapy - historical research Key Concepts construction subjectivity narrative Questions to Reflect On - How much of your past is truly yours? - What stories have you accepted without verification? A Different Perspective Memories may be unreliable; personal bias can distort recollection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Annals Truly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annals-truly-3748280/) [Anthony-burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthony-burgess-9261/) [Falsely Annals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsely-annals-3748279/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memories quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories-quotes/) [Memories Vicarious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories-vicarious-3748277/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Vicarious Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vicarious-told-3748278/) ## Related quotes > [“And those hard slovos, brothers, were like the beginning of my freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/and-those-hard-slovos-brothers-were-like-the-beginning-of-my-freedom/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“One thing I could never stand was to see a filthy dirty old drunky howling away at the filthy songs of his fathers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/one-thing-i-could-never-stand-was-to-see-a-filthy-dirty-old-drunky/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, Dim being really dim, and we sat in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/there-was-me-that-is-alex-and-my-three-droogs-that-is-pete-georgie-3/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/there-was-me-that-is-alex-and-my-three-droogs-that-is-pete-georgie-2/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“Autumn leaves fall from the tree, disappear with the wind, but then reappear on the tree and disappear again. Memories are like that, first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/autumn-leaves-fall-from-the-tree-disappear-with-the-wind-but-then/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Knowledge is memorized and then recalled later. Wisdom is the judge of the present moment and memorization is not necessary here. Because memorization is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/knowledge-is-memorized-and-then-recalled-later-wisdom-is-the-judge-of/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [“For you are you, and I am I, and once we were we… but as long as I exist and so do you –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/for-you-are-you-and-i-am-i-and-once-we-were-we-but-as-long-as-i-exist/) [Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/) > [“Men like him didn't cry, they bled memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-strauss/men-like-him-didn-t-cry-they-bled-memory/) [Raphael Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-strauss/) > [“I miss that feeling of connection. Knowing he was out there somewhere thinking about me at the same time I was thinking about him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/i-miss-that-feeling-of-connection-knowing-he-was-out-there-somewhere/) [Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/) > [“I had always wanted to hear those words. I had always wanted to be your girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/i-had-always-wanted-to-hear-those-words-i-had-always-wanted-to-be/) [Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/) > [“In this city of love Your memories tinkle like an anklet My heart rhymes melodies to its tune And affection shines like a droplet”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neelam-saxena-chandra/in-this-city-of-love-your-memories-tinkle-like-an-anklet-my-heart/) [Neelam Saxena Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neelam-saxena-chandra/) > [“How does it decipher which ones to wipe and which ones to forget, and which ones to replay again and again?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-swan/how-does-it-decipher-which-ones-to-wipe-and-which-ones-to-forget-and/) [T.L. Swan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-swan/) > [“These elusive memories, appear out of nowhere like a portal to our past, from deep within the passages of our minds. They rise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-stafford-wilson/these-elusive-memories-appear-out-of-nowhere-like-a-portal-to-our/) [Arlene Stafford-Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-stafford-wilson/) > [“Life is a collection of memories and feelings. Mawkish sentimentally urges us to engage in artistic overtures, we yearn to share with other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/life-is-a-collection-of-memories-and-feelings-mawkish-sentimentally/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Garraty thought that memories were like a line drawn in the dirt. The further back you went the scuffier and harder to see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bachman/garraty-thought-that-memories-were-like-a-line-drawn-in-the-dirt-the/) [Richard Bachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bachman/) ## More by Anthony Burgess > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Life is a wretched gray Saturday, but it has to be lived through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/life-is-a-wretched-gray-saturday-but-it-has-to-be-lived-through/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [A novelist should not be too intelligent either, although... he may be permitted to be an intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-novelist-should-not-be-too-intelligent-either-although-he-may-be/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“A man who serves language, however imperfectly, should always serve truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-man-who-serves-language-however-imperfectly-should-always-serve/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [All human life is here, but the Holy Ghost seems to be somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/all-human-life-is-here-but-the-holy-ghost-seems-to-be-somewhere-else/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Rome's just a city like anywhere else. A vastly overrated city, I'd say. It trades on belief just as Stratford trades on Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/rome-s-just-a-city-like-anywhere-else-a-vastly-overrated-city-i-d-say/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [The important thing is moral choice. Evil has to exist along with good, in order that moral choice may operate. Life is sustained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-important-thing-is-moral-choice-evil-has-to-exist-along-with-good/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Civilised my syphilised yarbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/civilised-my-syphilised-yarbles/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [The downtrodden are the great creators of slang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-downtrodden-are-the-great-creators-of-slang/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Without class differences, England would cease to be the living theatre it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/without-class-differences-england-would-cease-to-be-the-living/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [The ideal reader of my novels is a lapsed Catholic and failed musician, short-sighted, colour-blind, auditorily biased, who has read the books that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-ideal-reader-of-my-novels-is-a-lapsed-catholic-and-failed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [... A CLOCKWORK ORANGE- and I said: 'That's a fair gloopy title. Who ever heard of a clockwork orange?' Then I read a malenky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-clockwork-orange-and-i-said-that-s-a-fair-gloopy-title-who-ever/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [A work of fiction should be, for its author, a journey into the unknown, and the prose should convey the difficulties of the journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-work-of-fiction-should-be-for-its-author-a-journey-into-the-unknown/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“They don't go into what is the cause of goodness, so why of the other shop? If lewdies are good that's because they like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/they-don-t-go-into-what-is-the-cause-of-goodness-so-why-of-the-other/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“By definition, a human being is endowed with free will. He can use this to choose between good and evil. If he can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/by-definition-a-human-being-is-endowed-with-free-will-he-can-use-this/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) [Explore all 261 Anthony Burgess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) ## More Anthony-burgess quotes > [“There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/there-was-me-that-is-alex-and-my-three-droogs-that-is-pete-georgie-2/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, Dim being really dim, and we sat in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/there-was-me-that-is-alex-and-my-three-droogs-that-is-pete-georgie-3/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“One thing I could never stand was to see a filthy dirty old drunky howling away at the filthy songs of his fathers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/one-thing-i-could-never-stand-was-to-see-a-filthy-dirty-old-drunky/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“And those hard slovos, brothers, were like the beginning of my freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/and-those-hard-slovos-brothers-were-like-the-beginning-of-my-freedom/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) [Browse all 5 Anthony-burgess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthony-burgess-9261/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One's first memories are often vicarious: one is told that one did something or was involved in something; one dramatizes it and folds the image falsely into the annals of the truly remembered.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Burgess" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious-one-is-told-that-one-did/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anthony-burgess" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious-one-is-told-that-one-did/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4d/anthony-burgess-1167_anthony-burgess_one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious_2033665.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4d/anthony-burgess-1167_anthony-burgess_one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious_2033665.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4d/anthony-burgess-1167_anthony-burgess_one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious_2033665.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One's first memories are often vicarious: one is told that one did something or was involved in something…” — Anthony Burgess", "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": "Anthony Burgess", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“One's first memories are often vicarious:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious-one-is-told-that-one-did/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/one-s-first-memories-are-often-vicarious-one-is-told-that-one-did/#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 } } ] } ```