--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tip-of-the-tongue syndrome is when people…" description: "\"Tip-of-the-tongue syndrome is when people almost remember something but need a computer, or someone else, to help them find it. The problem is, our bra..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/clive-thompson-15484_almost_tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-peopl_2344759.png" --- # Tip-of-the-tongue syndrome is when people almost remember… ![“Tip-of-the-tongue syndrome is when people almost remember something but need a computer, or someone else, to help them find it. The problem is, our brains have always been terrible at remembering details. They were like that way before the Internet came along.” quote by Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/clive-thompson-15484_almost_tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-peopl_2344759.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/clive-thompson-15484_almost_tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-peopl_2344759.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/clive-thompson-15484_almost_tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-peopl_2344759.png) > “Tip-of-the-tongue syndrome is when people almost remember something but need a computer, or someone else, to help them find it. The problem is, our brains have always been terrible at remembering details. They were like that way before the Internet came along.” [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The syndrome shows how memory failures are common, and modern tools help retrieve forgotten information, reflecting on cognitive limits. **In simple terms:** People often forget details, but tech can help. Key Takeaway Use tools to aid memory. Themes memory technology information Mood reflective informative Type journalistic explanatory When to use this quote - research - everyday life - learning - problem solving Key Concepts cognitive psychology digital assistance Questions to Reflect On - How do we improve memory without tech? - When does reliance on devices become a crutch? A Different Perspective It may overstate technology’s role, ignoring personal strategies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brains/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Remembering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering/) ## Related quotes > [For me, I'm just too bad at remembering the details of lengths of parts of songs, so if we had backing tracks, it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/for-me-i-m-just-too-bad-at-remembering-the-details-of-lengths-of/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [“If I had my clone take a test for me, it’s likely I’d misspell my own name. And I’m terrible at remembering people’s names—even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-i-had-my-clone-take-a-test-for-me-it-s-likely-i-d-misspell-my-own/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [As you try to tweak your sleep one way or the other, you might be, you might be doing great - you might do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/as-you-try-to-tweak-your-sleep-one-way-or-the-other-you-might-be-you/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [I am terrible at remembering names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-ballas/i-am-terrible-at-remembering-names/) [Shirley Ballas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-ballas/) > [I've always been pretty good at remembering the details about certain things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jericho/i-ve-always-been-pretty-good-at-remembering-the-details-about-certain/) [Chris Jericho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jericho/) > [I'm terrible remembering lyrics. Before a tour, I have to remind myself. I have to go through the songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mclagan/i-m-terrible-remembering-lyrics-before-a-tour-i-have-to-remind-myself/) [Ian McLagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mclagan/) > [“Someone asked me what home was, and all I could think of were the stars on the tip of your tongue, the flowers sprouting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-asked-me-what-home-was-and-all-i-could-think-of-were-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He tried to pull me against him, and I bit him on the lip. He licked his lip with the tip of his tongue.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/he-tried-to-pull-me-against-him-and-i-bit-him-on-the-lip-he-licked/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [“Look what you have done You're my favorite song Always on the tip of my tongue”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-civil-wars/look-what-you-have-done-you-re-my-favorite-song-always-on-the-tip-of/) [The Civil Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-civil-wars/) > [I also think pronunciation of a foreign tongue could be better taught than by demanding from the pupil those internal acrobatic feats that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/i-also-think-pronunciation-of-a-foreign-tongue-could-be-better-taught/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [“Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/lo-lee-ta-the-tip-of-the-tongue-taking-a-trip-of-three-steps-down-the/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [I'm working my butt off every day to make sure people have my name on the tip of their tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-weah/i-m-working-my-butt-off-every-day-to-make-sure-people-have-my-name-on/) [Timothy Weah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-weah/) > [“It was on the tip of my tongue to say something snide, something that would hurt him, but somehow I couldn't. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/it-was-on-the-tip-of-my-tongue-to-say-something-snide-something-that/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [I've got a secret. It's on the tip of my tongue, it's on the back of my lungs. And I'm gonna keep it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-a-secret-it-s-on-the-tip-of-my-tongue-it-s-on-the-back-of-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In my experience, it’s those words on the tip of the tongue that we most need to hear. They are the key. The thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-martin/in-my-experience-it-s-those-words-on-the-tip-of-the-tongue-that-we/) [Charles Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-martin/) ## More by Clive Thompson > [The Internet lets thousands of total strangers collaborate to produce a truly hivelike result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-internet-lets-thousands-of-total-strangers-collaborate-to-produce/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Novelists in particular love to rhapsodize about the glory of the solitary mind; this is natural, because their job requires them to sit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/novelists-in-particular-love-to-rhapsodize-about-the-glory-of-the/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [When you're an expert in a subject, you can retain new factoids on your favorite topic easily. This only works for the subjects you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/when-you-re-an-expert-in-a-subject-you-can-retain-new-factoids-on/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Why are online games so addictive? It's mostly the narcotic appeal of 'leveling.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/why-are-online-games-so-addictive-it-s-mostly-the-narcotic-appeal-of/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [More than any other modern tool, computers are a total mystery to their users. Most people never open them up to fix them or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/more-than-any-other-modern-tool-computers-are-a-total-mystery-to/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [When you broadcast your book reading voluntarily, it creates moments of fascinating serendipity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/when-you-broadcast-your-book-reading-voluntarily-it-creates-moments/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [The only reason we don't notice how absolutely interwoven our thinking processes have become with older technologies - pencils, paper, electric light, penicillin, fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-only-reason-we-don-t-notice-how-absolutely-interwoven-our/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [“While reading Kasparov’s book How Life Imitates Chess on my Kindle, I idly clicked on “popular highlights” to see what passages other readers had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/while-reading-kasparov-s-book-how-life-imitates-chess-on-my-kindle-i/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [The main message of 'Smarter Than You Think' is an attempt to look at the productively new and interesting ways that we have begun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-main-message-of-smarter-than-you-think-is-an-attempt-to-look-at/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [There is something about the ability to externalize our thoughts and compare them with other people in a public way that is really transformative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/there-is-something-about-the-ability-to-externalize-our-thoughts-and/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Type as quickly as you can and always carry a pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/type-as-quickly-as-you-can-and-always-carry-a-pencil/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [I don't think the Internet has replaced cities in any significant way, nor really could it. Cities are dynamic - and deeply seductive for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/i-don-t-think-the-internet-has-replaced-cities-in-any-significant-way/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Railing at scientists for massaging tree-ring statistics won't stop the globe from warming if the globe is actually, you know, warming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/railing-at-scientists-for-massaging-tree-ring-statistics-won-t-stop/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [Transactive memory works best when you have a sense of how your partners' minds work - where they're strong, where they're weak, where their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/transactive-memory-works-best-when-you-have-a-sense-of-how-your/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [The amount of writing that people do online is astonishing, and historically unprecedented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-amount-of-writing-that-people-do-online-is-astonishing-and/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) [Explore all 43 Clive Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My favourite designers always create a strong silhouette, like McQueen and Tom Ford and Alaia. I like structured things that you can throw on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-favourite-designers-always-create-a-strong-silhouette-like-mcqueen/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) Bill Luther > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/if-you-watch-wrestling-you-now-know-the-hip-hop-culture-is-being/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) Farnaz Fassihi > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. I got on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-d-had-episodes-before-but-i-swept-them-under-the-carpet-this-time-i/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Tip-of-the-tongue syndrome is when people almost remember something but need a computer, or someone else, to help them find it. The problem is, our brains have always been terrible at remembering details. They were like that way before the Internet came along.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clive Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-people-almost-remember-something/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Almost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-people-almost-remember-something/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/clive-thompson-15484_almost_tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-peopl_2344759.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/clive-thompson-15484_almost_tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-peopl_2344759.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/clive-thompson-15484_almost_tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-peopl_2344759.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Tip-of-the-tongue syndrome is when people almost remember something but need a computer, or someone else, to…” — Clive Thompson", "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": "Clive Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Tip-of-the-tongue syndrome is when people almost...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-people-almost-remember-something/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/tip-of-the-tongue-syndrome-is-when-people-almost-remember-something/#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 } } ] } ```