--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, yes, Alice did know that she forgot…" description: "\"“Oh, yes, Alice did know that she forgot things, but not how badly, or how often. When her mind started to dazzle and to puzzle, frantically trying to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/doris-lessing-501_brown-sugar_oh-yes-alice-did-know-that-she-forgot-th_2428881.jpg" --- # Oh, yes, Alice did know that she forgot things, but not… ![“Oh, yes, Alice did know that she forgot things, but not how badly, or how often. When her mind started to dazzle and to puzzle, frantically trying to lay hold of something stable, then she always at once allowed herself -- as she did now -- to slide back into her childhood, where she dwelt…” quote by Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/doris-lessing-501_brown-sugar_oh-yes-alice-did-know-that-she-forgot-th_2428881.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/doris-lessing-501_brown-sugar_oh-yes-alice-did-know-that-she-forgot-th_2428881.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/doris-lessing-501_brown-sugar_oh-yes-alice-did-know-that-she-forgot-th_2428881.jpg) > ““Oh, yes, Alice did know that she forgot things, but not how badly, or how often. When her mind started to dazzle and to puzzle, frantically trying to lay hold of something stable, then she always at once allowed herself -- as she did now -- to slide back into her childhood, where she dwelt pleasurably on some scene or other that she had smoothed and polished and painted over and over again with fresh colour until it was like walking into a story that began, 'Once upon a time there was a little girl called Alice, with her mother, Dorothy. One morning Alice was in the kitchen with Dorothy, who was making her favourite pudding, apple with cinnamon and brown sugar and sour cream, and little Alice said, 'Mummy, I am a good girl, aren't I?”” [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The excerpt illustrates Alice’s coping mechanism of retreating into nostalgic, imagined childhood scenes to manage mental overload and anxiety. **In simple terms:** Alice escapes stress by imagining comforting childhood stories. Key Takeaway Use imagination to soothe mental strain. Themes psychology memory coping nostalgia fiction Mood introspective empathetic Type psychological literary When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative writing exercises - mindfulness practices - personal reflection Key Concepts mental health narrative therapy imagination stress relief Questions to Reflect On - How can one balance imagination with reality? - What healthy outlets replace escapism? 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