--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Memories aren't rags that come clean with…" description: "\"“Memories aren't rags that come clean with enough ringing.”\" — Dean Koontz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/dean-koontz-118_memories_memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-wit_251896.jpg" --- # Memories aren't rags that come clean with enough ringing. ![“Memories aren't rags that come clean with enough ringing.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/dean-koontz-118_memories_memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-wit_251896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/dean-koontz-118_memories_memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-wit_251896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/dean-koontz-118_memories_memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-wit_251896.jpg) > ““Memories aren't rags that come clean with enough ringing.”” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests memories are not easily cleansed; they linger despite attempts to forget. **In simple terms:** Memories persist despite attempts to erase them. Key Takeaway Accept and process lingering memories. Themes memory psychology trauma Mood melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - journaling - mindfulness practices - storytelling Key Concepts nostalgia cognitive persistence emotional healing Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with persistent memories? - Can confronting them aid healing? A Different Perspective Some memories may be repressed, not just lingering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) ## Related quotes > [Some memories aren't meant to leave traces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kreyzii/some-memories-aren-t-meant-to-leave-traces/) Kreyzii > [Your greatest memories aren't always about where you are or what you are doing. Sometimes it's more about who shared that moment with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/your-greatest-memories-aren-t-always-about-where-you-are-or-what-you/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Memories aren't always about facts. Sometimes they're about feelings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-dionne/memories-aren-t-always-about-facts-sometimes-they-re-about-feelings/) [Karen Dionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-dionne/) > [“Memories aren't stored in the heart or hte head or even the soul, but in the spaces between any given two people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/memories-aren-t-stored-in-the-heart-or-hte-head-or-even-the-soul-but/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“I have learned, though, that memories aren’t things that have to pile up and overwhelm you. They’re just colors...that shade all the new things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-monopoli/i-have-learned-though-that-memories-aren-t-things-that-have-to-pile/) [Ben Monopoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-monopoli/) > [“I’m chasing a ghost. I’m chasing memories that aren’t there. I’m chasing moments that will never happen. So my next step is to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-casey/i-m-chasing-a-ghost-i-m-chasing-memories-that-aren-t-there-i-m/) London Casey > [“All our memories aren’t bad, are they, Dorie?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-marsi/all-our-memories-aren-t-bad-are-they-dorie/) Cara Marsi > [When I was 5, 6 - so you know, memories aren't that great - I remember coming home and I remember seeing all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/when-i-was-5-6-so-you-know-memories-aren-t-that-great-i-remember/) [Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/) > [One's memories aren't what actually happened - they're very subjective. You can always make it much better, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wong-kar-wai/one-s-memories-aren-t-what-actually-happened-they-re-very-subjective/) [Wong Kar-wai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wong-kar-wai/) > [Just because someone isn't in my life anymore, doesn't mean the memories about them aren't in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal-zahoor/just-because-someone-isn-t-in-my-life-anymore-doesn-t-mean-the/) [Bilal Zahoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal-zahoor/) > [“Now keep in mind, memories aren’t historical archives. They’re—improvisations, really. A lot of the stuff you associate with a particular event might be factually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/now-keep-in-mind-memories-aren-t-historical-archives-they-re/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“When you forgive yourself, you free yourself from memories which aren’t serving you anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hina-hashmi/when-you-forgive-yourself-you-free-yourself-from-memories-which-aren/) [Hina Hashmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hina-hashmi/) > [Some memories aren't meant to be cherished. Some you just need to let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-memories-aren-t-meant-to-be-cherished-some-you-just-need-to-let/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Just because the situation turned out kind of messed up doesn't mean that my memories aren't valid," he says. "They're still true,still real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-c-walker/just-because-the-situation-turned-out-kind-of-messed-up-doesn-t-mean/) [Melissa C. Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-c-walker/) > [“Often we’re not even trying to exaggerate; we just can’t recall all the details of the story. Our memories aren’t perfect records of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-berger/often-we-re-not-even-trying-to-exaggerate-we-just-can-t-recall-all/) [Jonah Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-berger/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) [Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More Memories quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chiarello/what-keeps-me-motivated-is-not-the-food-itself-but-all-the-bonds-and/) Michael Chiarello > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [In the name of Jerusalem. If I forget the extermination of the Jews, may my right hand wither, may my tongue stick to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/in-the-name-of-jerusalem-if-i-forget-the-extermination-of-the-jews/) [Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) > [Children, Never look Back!" and this meant that we must never allow the future to be weighed down by memory . for children have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/children-never-look-back-and-this-meant-that-we-must-never-allow-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) [Browse all 11,132 Memories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Memories aren't rags that come clean with enough ringing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dean Koontz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-with-enough-ringing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Memories" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-with-enough-ringing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/dean-koontz-118_memories_memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-wit_251896.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/dean-koontz-118_memories_memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-wit_251896.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/dean-koontz-118_memories_memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-wit_251896.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Memories aren't rags that come clean with enough ringing.” — Dean Koontz", "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": "Dean Koontz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Memories aren't rags that come clean...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-with-enough-ringing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/memories-aren-t-rags-that-come-clean-with-enough-ringing/#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 } } ] } ```