--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: if it's not in my email archive, I don't…" description: "\"if it's not in my email archive, I don't know it\" — Cory Doctorow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/cory-doctorow-1928_archive_if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t_2050359.png" --- # if it's not in my email archive, I don't know it ![“if it's not in my email archive, I don't know it” quote by Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/cory-doctorow-1928_archive_if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t_2050359.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/cory-doctorow-1928_archive_if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t_2050359.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/cory-doctorow-1928_archive_if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t_2050359.png) > “if it's not in my email archive, I don't know it” [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. People often rely on personal archives to verify information, dismissing what isn’t saved. **In simple terms:** We trust what we have recorded. Key Takeaway Keep broader sources beyond email. Themes information trust memory technology Mood skeptical reflective Type advice observational When to use this quote - research - journalism - personal record keeping - fact checking Key Concepts digital archiving cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify facts not in your inbox? - What other records could you trust? A Different Perspective Relying solely on email can miss important data. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Archive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archive-10393/) [Archive Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archive-don-3860887/) [Archives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archives/) [Don Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-know/) [Email](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/email/) [Email Archive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/email-archive-3860886/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) ## Related quotes > [“People like to be shown around archives. I don’t know why. I’m in the business, but one row of shelves stuffed with manila files…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-t-davy/people-like-to-be-shown-around-archives-i-don-t-know-why-i-m-in-the/) [V.T. Davy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-t-davy/) > [My library is an archive of longings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/my-library-is-an-archive-of-longings/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Research material can turn up anywhere - in a dusty old letter in an archive, a journal or some old photographs you find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/research-material-can-turn-up-anywhere-in-a-dusty-old-letter-in-an/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever archive greatly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/only-those-who-dare-to-fail-greatly-can-ever-archive-greatly/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [“There are times when one is with their camera that beautiful and magical things will come into view. Do not let them slip by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-flateau/there-are-times-when-one-is-with-their-camera-that-beautiful-and/) [Christopher Paul Flateau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-flateau/) > [I applied for funding to embark on an overseas field trip in Iceland, and spent six weeks there happily holed up in the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-kent/i-applied-for-funding-to-embark-on-an-overseas-field-trip-in-iceland/) [Hannah Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-kent/) > [I woke up one day and I was like, "I don't have anything to save for myself for the future." That's when I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-wu/i-woke-up-one-day-and-i-was-like-i-don-t-have-anything-to-save-for/) [Jason Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-wu/) > [I have a website because it's an interesting tool, very - and quite unexpectedly - useful for my work. It's become an archive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howe/i-have-a-website-because-it-s-an-interesting-tool-very-and-quite/) [John Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howe/) > [There was an intervention of the foreign states in the Russian Far East, Archangel of the West border of Russia. The foreign troops were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-semichastny/there-was-an-intervention-of-the-foreign-states-in-the-russian-far/) [Vladimir Semichastny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-semichastny/) > [“It's really fine that you found a good archivist to do the basically difficult and at times harrowing work of cleaning out old papers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher-2/it-s-really-fine-that-you-found-a-good-archivist-to-do-the-basically/) [M.F.K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher-2/) > [I've found myself moved by letters and diaries in archives as well as trashy, summer blockbusters. It's possible to make a connection with any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-ve-found-myself-moved-by-letters-and-diaries-in-archives-as-well-as/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [I spent three years researching American Rose, research that included connecting with Gypsy's sister, the late actress June Havoc (I was the last person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-abbott/i-spent-three-years-researching-american-rose-research-that-included/) [Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-abbott/) > [The Carnegie Foundation is well aware of the fact that their reports frequently find their way to dusty archives in academic institutions, but occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-carnegie-foundation-is-well-aware-of-the-fact-that-their-reports/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) [Michael Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atherton/) > [Research promoted by NARA within a major coalition of Federal and private sector research partners has at last demonstrated that an Electronic Records Archives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-weinstein/research-promoted-by-nara-within-a-major-coalition-of-federal-and/) [Allen Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-weinstein/) ## 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 Archive quotes > [Research material can turn up anywhere - in a dusty old letter in an archive, a journal or some old photographs you find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/research-material-can-turn-up-anywhere-in-a-dusty-old-letter-in-an/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [My library is an archive of longings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/my-library-is-an-archive-of-longings/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“There are times when one is with their camera that beautiful and magical things will come into view. Do not let them slip by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-flateau/there-are-times-when-one-is-with-their-camera-that-beautiful-and/) [Christopher Paul Flateau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-flateau/) > [Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever archive greatly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/only-those-who-dare-to-fail-greatly-can-ever-archive-greatly/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [“People like to be shown around archives. I don’t know why. I’m in the business, but one row of shelves stuffed with manila files…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-t-davy/people-like-to-be-shown-around-archives-i-don-t-know-why-i-m-in-the/) [V.T. Davy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-t-davy/) [Browse all 6 Archive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archive-10393/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "if it's not in my email archive, I don't know it", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cory Doctorow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t-know-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Archive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t-know-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/cory-doctorow-1928_archive_if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t_2050359.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/cory-doctorow-1928_archive_if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t_2050359.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/cory-doctorow-1928_archive_if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t_2050359.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“if it's not in my email archive, I don't know it” — 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": "if it's not in my email...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t-know-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/if-it-s-not-in-my-email-archive-i-don-t-know-it/#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 } } ] } ```