---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The experiencing self lives in the…"
description: "\"The experiencing self lives in the moment; it is the one that answers the question, 'Does it hurt?' or 'What were you thinking about just now?' The rem..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/daniel-kahneman-431_answers_the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-momen_2157989.jpg"
---

#  The experiencing self lives in the moment; it is the one…

![“The experiencing self lives in the moment; it is the one that answers the question, 'Does it hurt?' or 'What were you thinking about just now?' The remembering self is the one that answers questions about the overall evaluation of episodes or periods of one's life, such as a stay in the hospital…” quote by Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/daniel-kahneman-431_answers_the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-momen_2157989.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/daniel-kahneman-431_answers_the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-momen_2157989.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/daniel-kahneman-431_answers_the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-momen_2157989.jpg)

> “The experiencing self lives in the moment; it is the one that answers the question, 'Does it hurt?' or 'What were you thinking about just now?' The remembering self is the one that answers questions about the overall evaluation of episodes or periods of one's life, such as a stay in the hospital or the years since one left college.”

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The experiencing self perceives present moments, while the remembering self evaluates past experiences and forms narratives about life events.

**In simple terms:** Live now, remember later.

Key Takeaway

Focus on present experience, reflect on past narratives.

Themes

psychology memory consciousness

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical insightful

When to use this quote

- Everyday decision making
- Therapeutic reflection
- Healthcare patient experience
- Education feedback loops

Key Concepts

Self Temporal perception Narrative identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does focusing on the present change your satisfaction?
- What narratives do you construct about past events?

A Different Perspective

The remembering self can distort reality, leading to biased judgments.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Episodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/episodes/) [Evaluation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evaluation/) [Experiencing Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiencing-self-333124/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [It hurts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/it-hurts/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Live in the moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-in-the-moment/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remembering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering/) [Remembering Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering-self-1244568/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-lives-511096/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [The experiencing self lives its life continuously. It has moments of experience, one after the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-experiencing-self-lives-its-life-continuously-it-has-moments-of/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“The experiencing self does not have a voice. The remembering self is sometimes wrong, but it is the one that keeps score and governs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-experiencing-self-does-not-have-a-voice-the-remembering-self-is/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [Odd as it may seem, I am my remembering self, and the experiencing self, who does my living, is like a stranger to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/odd-as-it-may-seem-i-am-my-remembering-self-and-the-experiencing-self/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“I am my remembering self, and the experiencing self, who does my living, is like a stranger to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/i-am-my-remembering-self-and-the-experiencing-self-who-does-my-living/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“We enshrine things to memory very differently than we experience them in real time. The psychologist Daniel Kahneman has coined a couple of terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-senior/we-enshrine-things-to-memory-very-differently-than-we-experience-them/)

[Jennifer Senior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-senior/)

> [Experienced happiness refers to your feelings, to how happy you are as you live your life. In contrast, the satisfaction of the remembering self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/experienced-happiness-refers-to-your-feelings-to-how-happy-you-are-as/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“the central fact of our existence is that time is the ultimate finite resource, but the remembering self ignores that reality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-central-fact-of-our-existence-is-that-time-is-the-ultimate-finite/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“recent research that has introduced a distinction between two selves, the experiencing self and the remembering self, which do not have the same interests.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/recent-research-that-has-introduced-a-distinction-between-two-selves/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [The false self lives mainly through memory and anticipation. Past and future are its main preoccupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-false-self-lives-mainly-through-memory-and-anticipation-past-and/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [This is the secret of life: the self lives only by dying, finds its identity (and its happiness) only by self-forgetfulness, self-giving, self-sacrifice, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/this-is-the-secret-of-life-the-self-lives-only-by-dying-finds-its/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“It is perfectly possible — indeed, it is far from uncommon — to go to bed one night, or wake up one morning, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/it-is-perfectly-possible-indeed-it-is-far-from-uncommon-to-go-to-bed/)

[James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/)

> [Love your self's self where it lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/love-your-self-s-self-where-it-lives/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [Meditation is not a selfish thing. Even though you're diving in and experiencing the Self, you're not closing yourself off from the world. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/meditation-is-not-a-selfish-thing-even-though-you-re-diving-in-and/)

[David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/)

> [To feel beauty, to feel truth, that is self-remembering. Self-remembering is the awareness of the presence of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-collin/to-feel-beauty-to-feel-truth-that-is-self-remembering-self/)

[Rodney Collin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-collin/)

> [“In that same lecture, Kahneman confessed that the outsize power of the remembering self mystified him. “Why do we put so much weight on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-senior/in-that-same-lecture-kahneman-confessed-that-the-outsize-power-of-the/)

[Jennifer Senior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-senior/)

## More by Daniel Kahneman

> [Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“Belief in the Law of Small Numbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/belief-in-the-law-of-small-numbers/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“People who are poor think like traders, but the dynamics are quite different. Unlike traders, the poor are not indifferent to the differences between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/people-who-are-poor-think-like-traders-but-the-dynamics-are-quite/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“Mood evidently affects the operation of System 1: when we are uncomfortable and unhappy, we lose touch with our intuition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/mood-evidently-affects-the-operation-of-system-1-when-we-are/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [The confidence that individuals have in their beliefs depends mostly on the quality of the story they can tell about what they see, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-confidence-that-individuals-have-in-their-beliefs-depends-mostly/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“So this is my aim for watercooler conversations: improve the ability to identify and understand errors of judgment and choice, in others and eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/so-this-is-my-aim-for-watercooler-conversations-improve-the-ability/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“For example, I recently came to doubt my long-held impression that adultery is more common among politicians than among physicians or lawyers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/for-example-i-recently-came-to-doubt-my-long-held-impression-that/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [Survival prospects are poor for an animal that is not suspicious of novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/survival-prospects-are-poor-for-an-animal-that-is-not-suspicious-of/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“the idea of money primes individualism: a reluctance to be involved with others, to depend on others, or to accept demands from others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-idea-of-money-primes-individualism-a-reluctance-to-be-involved/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [Most of the moments of our life - and I calculated, you know, the psychological present is said to be about three seconds long;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/most-of-the-moments-of-our-life-and-i-calculated-you-know-the/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“knowing little makes it easier to fit everything you know into a coherent pattern.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/knowing-little-makes-it-easier-to-fit-everything-you-know-into-a/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [Experts don't know exactly where the boundaries of their expertise are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/experts-don-t-know-exactly-where-the-boundaries-of-their-expertise-are/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [All of us would be better investors if we just made fewer decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/all-of-us-would-be-better-investors-if-we-just-made-fewer-decisions/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“The best we can do is a compromise: learn to recognize situations in which mistakes are likely and try harder to avoid significant mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-best-we-can-do-is-a-compromise-learn-to-recognize-situations-in/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [“A happy mood loosens the control of System 2 over performance: when in a good mood, people become more intuitive and more creative but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/a-happy-mood-loosens-the-control-of-system-2-over-performance-when-in/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

[Explore all 560 Daniel Kahneman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

## More Answers quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/)

[Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/)

> [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/)

[Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/)

> [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/)

[Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/)

[Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The experiencing self lives in the moment; it is the one that answers the question, 'Does it hurt?' or 'What were you thinking about just now?' The remembering self is the one that answers questions about the overall evaluation of episodes or periods of one's life, such as a stay in the hospital or the years since one left college.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Daniel Kahneman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-moment-it-is-the-one-that-answers/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Answers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-moment-it-is-the-one-that-answers/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/daniel-kahneman-431_answers_the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-momen_2157989.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/daniel-kahneman-431_answers_the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-momen_2157989.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/690/daniel-kahneman-431_answers_the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-momen_2157989.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The experiencing self lives in the moment; it is the one that answers the question, 'Does it hurt?' or 'What…” — Daniel Kahneman",
                "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": "Daniel Kahneman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The experiencing self lives in the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-moment-it-is-the-one-that-answers/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-experiencing-self-lives-in-the-moment-it-is-the-one-that-answers/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
