Death Quote by Cees Nooteboom
““When a memory fails to appear, it seems as though the time when it was created did not really exist, and maybe that is true. Time itself is nothing; only the experience of it is something. When that dies, it assumes the form of a denial, the symbol of mortality, what you have already lost before you lose everything. When his friend had said something similar to his father, his response had been, "If you had to retain everything, you’d explode. There’s simply not enough space for it all. Forgetting is like medicine; you have to take it at the right time.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Following Story, Cees Nooteboom, 1991
Forgetting is essential; without it, memory would overwhelm us, and life would become unmanageable.
In simple terms: Forgetting frees space for new experiences.
Key Takeaway
Embrace forgetting as a healthy process.
Themes
memory
time
mortality
psychology
Mood
reflective
philosophical
Type
literary
psychological
When to use this quote
- daily life
- learning
- grieving
- creative work
Key Concepts
cognitive load
impermanence
acceptance
Questions to Reflect On
- What memories do you need to let go?
- How does forgetting aid personal growth?
A Different Perspective
Excessive forgetting can erode identity and continuity.
![“Who was it said that memory is what we thought we'd forgotten? And it ought to be obvious to us that time doesn't act as a fixative, rather as a solvent. But it's not convenient--it's not useful--to believe this; it doesn't help us get on with our lives; so we ignore it. [p. 69]” quote by Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/90c/julian-barnes-522_life_who-was-it-said-that-memory-is-what-we-t_368829.jpg)
![“[...] the first lesson about the nature of memory: what you wish to forget, you may not be able to. What seems to have died, perhaps is just asleep.” quote by Noam Shpancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ceb/noam-shpancer-35250_forget_the-first-lesson-about-the-nature-of-mem_2350554.jpg)
