---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a lot of silence in watching…"
description: "\"There is a lot of silence in watching somebody trying to remember things.\" — David Shapiro"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/david-shapiro-34700_remember_there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-so_1512705.png"
---

#  There is a lot of silence in watching somebody trying to…

![“There is a lot of silence in watching somebody trying to remember things.” quote by David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/david-shapiro-34700_remember_there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-so_1512705.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/david-shapiro-34700_remember_there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-so_1512705.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/david-shapiro-34700_remember_there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-so_1512705.png)

> “There is a lot of silence in watching somebody trying to remember things.”

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

## About This Quote

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

He observes that watching someone struggle to recall creates a profound, almost eerie silence.

**In simple terms:** Silence fills the gap when memory fails.

Key Takeaway

Listen to the unspoken tension of forgetting.

Themes

memory silence empathy

Mood

thoughtful somber

Type

reflective philosophical

When to use this quote

- elder care
- education
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

cognitive psychology human experience

Questions to Reflect On

- How does silence affect your perception of memory loss?
- What can you do to support someone recalling?

A Different Perspective

Silence can also be a coping mechanism, not just emptiness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/)

## Related quotes

> [“He and Yrene sat in companionable silence, watching the chaos unfold around them until the sun had long since set through the wide windows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/he-and-yrene-sat-in-companionable-silence-watching-the-chaos-unfold/)

[Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/)

> [A lot of silence takes so much specificity and detail. To not fill the space with words takes restraint and an extraordinary amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/a-lot-of-silence-takes-so-much-specificity-and-detail-to-not-fill-the/)

[Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/)

> [“You have to create your own space which has a lot of silence in it and a lot of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/you-have-to-create-your-own-space-which-has-a-lot-of-silence-in-it/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [Watching somebody sing reveals a lot about character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-neville/watching-somebody-sing-reveals-a-lot-about-character/)

[Morgan Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-neville/)

> [When I'm watching somebody act, it's a behavior editorial function - I look at someone act, and I might say, 'I don't believe him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fincher/when-i-m-watching-somebody-act-it-s-a-behavior-editorial-function-i/)

[David Fincher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fincher/)

> [I feel like any time I'm doing what I love, my big pay-off is watching somebody else be the receiver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbi-fields/i-feel-like-any-time-i-m-doing-what-i-love-my-big-pay-off-is-watching/)

[Debbi Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbi-fields/)

> [We are far more like somebody watching ourselves than somebody in charge of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wiseman/we-are-far-more-like-somebody-watching-ourselves-than-somebody-in/)

[Richard Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wiseman/)

> [I guess what inspires me is when I am watching somebody else do something that really has an impact on me. That inspires me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-kokal/i-guess-what-inspires-me-is-when-i-am-watching-somebody-else-do/)

[Emily Kokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-kokal/)

> [I've always worked a lot with silence in my films. It forces the audience to concentrate on what they're seeing, because silence is pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/i-ve-always-worked-a-lot-with-silence-in-my-films-it-forces-the/)

[Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/)

> [It takes a lot to silence the House of Commons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/it-takes-a-lot-to-silence-the-house-of-commons/)

[Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/)

> [A woman can say a lot with her silence while sometimes a man can talk for hours yet say nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher/a-woman-can-say-a-lot-with-her-silence-while-sometimes-a-man-can-talk/)

[Mazher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazher/)

> [I also like a lot of silence, and when you're touring, it's constantly noise, all the time, you're surrounded with 15 or 20 people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pj-harvey/i-also-like-a-lot-of-silence-and-when-you-re-touring-it-s-constantly/)

[PJ Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pj-harvey/)

> [There is a lot of silence in me, and I feel that silence is often better than spoken words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randeep-hooda/there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-me-and-i-feel-that-silence-is-often/)

[Randeep Hooda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randeep-hooda/)

> [“i am trying to remember you and let you go at the same time. — the mourn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayyirah-waheed/i-am-trying-to-remember-you-and-let-you-go-at-the-same-time-the-mourn/)

[Nayyirah Waheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayyirah-waheed/)

> [“What could he be thinking of? He seemed to be trying to remember something, perhaps an engagement, perhaps an excuse to leave her. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-moore/what-could-he-be-thinking-of-he-seemed-to-be-trying-to-remember/)

[Brian Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-moore/)

## More by David Shapiro

> [When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to assume that their president, hostile to the principles that formed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/when-in-the-course-of-human-events-it-becomes-necessary-for-one/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [I love being a lawyer more than I like writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/i-love-being-a-lawyer-more-than-i-like-writing/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [I believe that sitting naked across from your adversary in a steam room makes negotiations more productive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/i-believe-that-sitting-naked-across-from-your-adversary-in-a-steam/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [I'm better at being a lawyer than I am at being a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/i-m-better-at-being-a-lawyer-than-i-am-at-being-a-writer/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [“I buy us each a 40 oz. of Coors Light because right off the bat, it’s important that she knows I am the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/i-buy-us-each-a-40-oz-of-coors-light-because-right-off-the-bat-it-s/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [I don't necessarily believe in the ideology of cinema verité. I think by the very fact that you have a camera there you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/i-don-t-necessarily-believe-in-the-ideology-of-cinema-verit-i-think/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [“She cries in my arms and I try not to cry. We have never said “I love you” to each other, but it doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/she-cries-in-my-arms-and-i-try-not-to-cry-we-have-never-said-i-love/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [I wanted my book to make people cry, but I feel like I'm the only person who my book is going to make cry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/i-wanted-my-book-to-make-people-cry-but-i-feel-like-i-m-the-only/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [We all have a family and I think we all have a perception of our family that we like to keep and we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/we-all-have-a-family-and-i-think-we-all-have-a-perception-of-our/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [Sometimes you are ahead of people and sometimes people have blind spots. They can't see the world and they can't see what they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/sometimes-you-are-ahead-of-people-and-sometimes-people-have-blind/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [“A Book of Glass On the table, a book of glass. In the book only a few pages with no words But scratched in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/a-book-of-glass-on-the-table-a-book-of-glass-in-the-book-only-a-few/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [“It is a life’s task to find the ways you want to play an endless game of uncontrol- lable beauty”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/it-is-a-life-s-task-to-find-the-ways-you-want-to-play-an-endless-game/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

> [I always expose the apparatus. I show how the film was made. I acknowledge the filmmaker and the filmmaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/i-always-expose-the-apparatus-i-show-how-the-film-was-made-i/)

[David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

[Explore all 14 David Shapiro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/)

## More Remember quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/)

[Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/)

> [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/)

[Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/)

> [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/)

[Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/)

[Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/)

> [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/)

[St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/)

> [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/)

[Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/)

> [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/)

[Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/)

[Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/)

> [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/)

[Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/)

Browse all 23,344 Remember quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is a lot of silence in watching somebody trying to remember things.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Shapiro"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-somebody-trying-to-remember/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Remember"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-somebody-trying-to-remember/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/david-shapiro-34700_remember_there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-so_1512705.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/david-shapiro-34700_remember_there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-so_1512705.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/david-shapiro-34700_remember_there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-so_1512705.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is a lot of silence in watching somebody trying to remember things.” — David Shapiro",
                "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": "David Shapiro",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is a lot of silence...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-somebody-trying-to-remember/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/there-is-a-lot-of-silence-in-watching-somebody-trying-to-remember/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
