--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For decades, computers have been helping…" description: "\"For decades, computers have been helping us to remember, but now it's time for them to help us to ignore.\" — Cory Doctorow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/cory-doctorow-1928_computer_for-decades-computers-have-been-helping_337186.png" --- # For decades, computers have been helping us to remember… ![“For decades, computers have been helping us to remember, but now it's time for them to help us to ignore.” quote by Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/cory-doctorow-1928_computer_for-decades-computers-have-been-helping_337186.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/cory-doctorow-1928_computer_for-decades-computers-have-been-helping_337186.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/cory-doctorow-1928_computer_for-decades-computers-have-been-helping_337186.png) > “For decades, computers have been helping us to remember, but now it's time for them to help us to ignore.” [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Computers once aided memory; now they should aid selective forgetting. **In simple terms:** Tech shifts from remembering to forgetting. Key Takeaway Use tech to filter unnecessary data. Themes technology memory focus Mood thoughtful critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal productivity - mental health Key Concepts information overload digital detox AI Questions to Reflect On - What should be forgotten? - How to balance remembering and forgetting? A Different Perspective Overreliance on tech may erase important memories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Computers Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers-helping-3141992/) [Decades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades/) [Decades Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades-computers-3141993/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Helping Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-remember-3141991/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There comes many technology that resists in the world, some live for months, some for years and even some for decades, but computers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-comes-many-technology-that-resists-in-the-world-some-live-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Thanks for always helping me to remember what is important in life...and today it is you! You are the best! Wish You A Happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thanks-for-always-helping-me-to-remember-what-is-important-in-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The biggest effect of the personal computer revolution has been to allow millions and millions of people to experience computers themselves decades before they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-biggest-effect-of-the-personal-computer-revolution-has-been-to/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [What took me decades to learn, these kids can get on the Internet...What I learned by brute force, dealing out hands, they learn on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doyle-brunson/what-took-me-decades-to-learn-these-kids-can-get-on-the-internet-what/) [Doyle Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doyle-brunson/) > [Remember the first time we met You was at the mall wit yo friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyaz/remember-the-first-time-we-met-you-was-at-the-mall-wit-yo-friend/) [Iyaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyaz/) > [I open journal, I look at the picture and I remember where I was. And I remember the time of day, the temperature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/i-open-journal-i-look-at-the-picture-and-i-remember-where-i-was-and-i/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [Don't devalue or hurt anyone in life. You may be powerful today, but remember, time is more powerful than you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mufti-ismail-menk/don-t-devalue-or-hurt-anyone-in-life-you-may-be-powerful-today-but/) [Mufti Ismail Menk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mufti-ismail-menk/) > [“I shook my head. I couldn't remember the time before, or the way it used to be. There were things we used to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/i-shook-my-head-i-couldn-t-remember-the-time-before-or-the-way-it/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [You know how it is. Every time you kiss someone else, in a way you always remember that very first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breckin-meyer/you-know-how-it-is-every-time-you-kiss-someone-else-in-a-way-you/) [Breckin Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breckin-meyer/) > [I don't remember a time that I didn't know how to play the guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaki-king/i-don-t-remember-a-time-that-i-didn-t-know-how-to-play-the-guitar/) [Kaki King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaki-king/) > [I was about 14, and my friend's stepdad asked me to do a 10K with him because his son - who was more into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-astin/i-was-about-14-and-my-friend-s-stepdad-asked-me-to-do-a-10k-with-him/) [Sean Astin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-astin/) > [“There's always a last time. If you could remember every last time, you'd never stop grieving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/there-s-always-a-last-time-if-you-could-remember-every-last-time-you/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Alex,do you remember this time?the time when we were best budds used to talk all the time about snything and everything?i miss those times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/alex-do-you-remember-this-time-the-time-when-we-were-best-budds-used/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [Don't force someone to remember you all the time. Just stay silent let them realize... how they will be without you in their life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-force-someone-to-remember-you-all-the-time-just-stay-silent-let/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had anything to eat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/in-fact-he-couldn-t-remember-the-last-time-he-d-had-anything-to-eat/) [Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/) ## More by Cory Doctorow > [“For me -- for pretty much every writer -- the big problem isn't piracy, it's obscurity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/for-me-for-pretty-much-every-writer-the-big-problem-isn-t-piracy-it-s/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“Kurt smiled a shy smile. "You're just trying to cheer me up," he said. "Course I am," Andy said. "You deserve to be full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/kurt-smiled-a-shy-smile-you-re-just-trying-to-cheer-me-up-he-said/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Right, and you point out something important which is that people who don’t want to pay, people who are pirates, don’t get bothered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/right-and-you-point-out-something-important-which-is-that-people-who/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [The other one I did was 'I, Robot.' I take apart Isaac Asimov's Robots world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/the-other-one-i-did-was-i-robot-i-take-apart-isaac-asimov-s-robots/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“When in problem, or in doubt, run in cirles, scream and shout”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/when-in-problem-or-in-doubt-run-in-cirles-scream-and-shout/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“the problem with reading off a screen isn’t resolution, eyestrain, or compatibility with reading in the bathtub: it’s that computers are seductive, they tempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/the-problem-with-reading-off-a-screen-isn-t-resolution-eyestrain-or/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I'm 17 years old. I'm not a straight-A student or anything. Even so, I figured out how to make an Internet that they can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-m-17-years-old-i-m-not-a-straight-a-student-or-anything-even-so-i/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“Anything invented before you were eighteen was there all along. Anything invented before you’re thirty is exciting and will change the world forever. Anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/anything-invented-before-you-were-eighteen-was-there-all-along/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Novels for me are how I find out what's going on in my own head. And so that's a really useful and indeed critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/novels-for-me-are-how-i-find-out-what-s-going-on-in-my-own-head-and/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [“It’s our version of Christian guilt—it’s impious to feel good about your piety. You have to want to be good, but not feel good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-s-our-version-of-christian-guilt-it-s-impious-to-feel-good-about/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [The important thing about security systems isn’t how they work, it’s how they fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/the-important-thing-about-security-systems-isn-t-how-they-work-it-s/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [This is why I loved technology: if you used it right, it could give you power and privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/this-is-why-i-loved-technology-if-you-used-it-right-it-could-give-you/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Funny, for all surveillance, Osama bin Laden is still free—and we're not. Guess who's winning the "war on terror?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/funny-for-all-surveillance-osama-bin-laden-is-still-free-and-we-re/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I had this really great amazing thing happen where I almost finished the book and I really needed to come up with an ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-had-this-really-great-amazing-thing-happen-where-i-almost-finished/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [It's the stupid questions that have some of the most surprising and interesting answers. Most people never think to ask the stupid questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-s-the-stupid-questions-that-have-some-of-the-most-surprising-and/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) [Explore all 195 Cory Doctorow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) ## More Computer quotes > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) [Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/) > [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [I'm from the South, so I'm very old-fashioned and I'm not very computer savvy at all, but I'm getting it. I understand that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-m-from-the-south-so-i-m-very-old-fashioned-and-i-m-not-very/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A little bit more than 50% of what you see on screen is handcrafted and the other 50% was about emulating these textures on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/a-little-bit-more-than-50-of-what-you-see-on-screen-is-handcrafted/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [In nine months, a group of children left alone with a computer in any language will reach the same standard as an office secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/in-nine-months-a-group-of-children-left-alone-with-a-computer-in-any/) [Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/) > [Why do you do what you do? Why do you dress the way you dress?Why do you do what you do with your time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-conway/why-do-you-do-what-you-do-why-do-you-dress-the-way-you-dress-why-do/) [Tim Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-conway/) > [Yeah, I'm a geek. I read sci-fi and I watch sci-fi films. I love my computer and I love to fix it. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) [Browse all 3,924 Computer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For decades, computers have been helping us to remember, but now it's time for them to help us to ignore.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cory Doctorow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/for-decades-computers-have-been-helping-us-to-remember-but-now-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Computer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/for-decades-computers-have-been-helping-us-to-remember-but-now-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/cory-doctorow-1928_computer_for-decades-computers-have-been-helping_337186.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/cory-doctorow-1928_computer_for-decades-computers-have-been-helping_337186.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/cory-doctorow-1928_computer_for-decades-computers-have-been-helping_337186.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For decades, computers have been helping us to remember, but now it's time for them to help us to ignore.” — Cory Doctorow", "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": "Cory Doctorow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For decades, computers have been helping...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/for-decades-computers-have-been-helping-us-to-remember-but-now-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/for-decades-computers-have-been-helping-us-to-remember-but-now-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```