--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I really try to forget. I only look at my…" description: "\"I really try to forget. I only look at my old works if there's an interview and someone asks me about it. Otherwise, it's not even in the rearview mirr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/chang-rae-lee-3318_ask-me_i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my_416871.png" --- # I really try to forget. I only look at my old works if… ![“I really try to forget. I only look at my old works if there's an interview and someone asks me about it. Otherwise, it's not even in the rearview mirror.” quote by Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/chang-rae-lee-3318_ask-me_i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my_416871.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/chang-rae-lee-3318_ask-me_i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my_416871.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/chang-rae-lee-3318_ask-me_i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my_416871.png) > “I really try to forget. I only look at my old works if there's an interview and someone asks me about it. Otherwise, it's not even in the rearview mirror.” [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He avoids revisiting past work unless prompted by an interview, keeping his focus on the present. **In simple terms:** He only looks back when asked. Key Takeaway Stay present, let past rest. Themes memory focus creativity Mood reflective neutral Type personal professional When to use this quote - media interviews - creative process - career reflection Key Concepts artist's mindset public perception Questions to Reflect On - What would you learn by reviewing old work? - How does staying present affect creativity? A Different Perspective He may miss insights from past work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) ## Related quotes > [“Sometimes we spend so much time trying that we forget to look back at what we have achieved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bealing/sometimes-we-spend-so-much-time-trying-that-we-forget-to-look-back-at/) Sarah Bealing > [Because you are never here but always there, I forget not you but what you look like You drift down the street in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/because-you-are-never-here-but-always-there-i-forget-not-you-but-what/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Stop looking in the mirror and forget how you look like; we are all special the way we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/stop-looking-in-the-mirror-and-forget-how-you-look-like-we-are-all/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [I Love to Hang Out with People... Who make Me Forget to Look at My Phone...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-to-hang-out-with-people-who-make-me-forget-to-look-at-my-phone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Never forget to look back to see what your accomplishment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coltgasp/never-forget-to-look-back-to-see-what-your-accomplishment/) Coltgasp > [“I’ve seen women come. They forget to look beautiful. They forget who they are. I want to see you when you lose yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-reiss/i-ve-seen-women-come-they-forget-to-look-beautiful-they-forget-who/) [C.D. Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-reiss/) > [I love hanging out with people who make me forget to look at my phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/i-love-hanging-out-with-people-who-make-me-forget-to-look-at-my-phone/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [A great mind is one that can forget or look beyond itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-great-mind-is-one-that-can-forget-or-look-beyond-itself/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Forget what it was. Look at what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-maisel/forget-what-it-was-look-at-what-it-is/) [Jay Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-maisel/) > [Forget what you were, and look forward to what you could be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-sager/forget-what-you-were-and-look-forward-to-what-you-could-be/) [Nicole Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-sager/) > [I never wear makeup when I'm not at work. It can make you forget what you look like, and I've grown to really love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-never-wear-makeup-when-i-m-not-at-work-it-can-make-you-forget-what/) [Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/) > [Charm is the ability to make others forget that you look as you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-belmondo/charm-is-the-ability-to-make-others-forget-that-you-look-as-you-do/) [Jean-Paul Belmondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-belmondo/) > [No one will forget me. Not my look, not my name. Katniss. The girl who was on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/no-one-will-forget-me-not-my-look-not-my-name-katniss-the-girl-who/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Then he's inside you, and your body remembers, each time, every man, even if you try to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayne-anne-phillips/then-he-s-inside-you-and-your-body-remembers-each-time-every-man-even/) [Jayne Anne Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayne-anne-phillips/) > [“I try to forget the horror of what happened. Or—perhaps forget is the wrong word. How can I forget? And yet how can I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-try-to-forget-the-horror-of-what-happened-or-perhaps-forget-is-the/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) ## More by Chang-Rae Lee > [The truth, finally, is who can tell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/the-truth-finally-is-who-can-tell-it/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I think my parents recognised that I'd always wanted to be a writer, and so they didn't think that this was some idle, faddish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-think-my-parents-recognised-that-i-d-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Some writers are writing one great, big book and just taking all these different avenues towards it. They might seem on the outside to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/some-writers-are-writing-one-great-big-book-and-just-taking-all-these/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I try to be aware of what I'm concerned about, aware of how I feel about myself in the world, aware of how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-try-to-be-aware-of-what-i-m-concerned-about-aware-of-how-i-feel/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“Behold a fire from the opposite shore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/behold-a-fire-from-the-opposite-shore/) [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“I would give most anything to hear my father's talk again, the crash and bang and stop of his language, always hurtling by. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-would-give-most-anything-to-hear-my-father-s-talk-again-the-crash/) [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [We have hopes and make plans, and if they are dashed or waylaid, we naturally rationalize and redraw the map to locate ourselves anew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/we-have-hopes-and-make-plans-and-if-they-are-dashed-or-waylaid-we/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I remember when I was in art classes, I hated following the assignments. And I would get in trouble for doing something totally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-remember-when-i-was-in-art-classes-i-hated-following-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [The past, as you suggest, is absolutely present at all times and the present is born from the past. I wouldn't want to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/the-past-as-you-suggest-is-absolutely-present-at-all-times-and-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Most people don't think about race as much as I do. They don't have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/most-people-don-t-think-about-race-as-much-as-i-do-they-don-t-have-to/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Not to any really influential effect, but certainly there have been comments that have surprised me. It's surprising sometimes to get particular perspectives on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/not-to-any-really-influential-effect-but-certainly-there-have-been/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [My family immigrated when I was 3, and our predecessors inhabited the Korean Peninsula for as long as can be recalled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/my-family-immigrated-when-i-was-3-and-our-predecessors-inhabited-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [After college, I was living in New York and wrote furiously, a huge novel that I knew was a failure. I hoped that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/after-college-i-was-living-in-new-york-and-wrote-furiously-a-huge/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Usually, when you're talking about work with other writers it's because something seriously bad is going on with your work and you've absolutely thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/usually-when-you-re-talking-about-work-with-other-writers-it-s/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [ I had a visceral connection to the period \[of Korean War\]. By visceral I suppose I mean emotional. But every fiction requires so much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-had-a-visceral-connection-to-the-period-of-korean-war-by-visceral-i/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) [Explore all 133 Chang-Rae Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## More Ask me quotes > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [I am a conservative type of person, so sometimes when I'm chilling with myself, people always come ask me, 'What's wrong with you? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-wonder/i-am-a-conservative-type-of-person-so-sometimes-when-i-m-chilling/) [Wayne Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-wonder/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [When a young artist asks me a question, I want to do what I can to give them an answer if I have it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tait/when-a-young-artist-asks-me-a-question-i-want-to-do-what-i-can-to/) [Michael Tait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tait/) > [I've never asked a girl out in my life, they have to ask me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-ve-never-asked-a-girl-out-in-my-life-they-have-to-ask-me/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [I would do almost anything Tina Fey asks me to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/i-would-do-almost-anything-tina-fey-asks-me-to-do/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [Space Jam is my favorite movie. Don't ask me why, it just is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/space-jam-is-my-favorite-movie-don-t-ask-me-why-it-just-is/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [If I had lost a leg, I would tell them, instead of a boy, no one would ever ask me if I was 'over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/if-i-had-lost-a-leg-i-would-tell-them-instead-of-a-boy-no-one-would/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [It is very hard to tell when I started to be a spiritual teacher. There was a time when occasionally somebody would come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/it-is-very-hard-to-tell-when-i-started-to-be-a-spiritual-teacher/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) Browse all 1,282 Ask me quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I really try to forget. I only look at my old works if there's an interview and someone asks me about it. Otherwise, it's not even in the rearview mirror.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chang-Rae Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my-old-works-if-there-s-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ask me" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my-old-works-if-there-s-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/chang-rae-lee-3318_ask-me_i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my_416871.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/chang-rae-lee-3318_ask-me_i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my_416871.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/chang-rae-lee-3318_ask-me_i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my_416871.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I really try to forget. I only look at my old works if there's an interview and someone asks me about it…” — Chang-Rae Lee", "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": "Chang-Rae Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I really try to forget. I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my-old-works-if-there-s-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-really-try-to-forget-i-only-look-at-my-old-works-if-there-s-an/#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 } } ] } ```