--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is the memory of past happiness that…" description: "\"“It is the memory of past happiness that makes the present so intolerable.”\" — Fay Weldon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/fay-weldon-3097_happiness_it-is-the-memory-of-past-happiness-that_2075238.png" --- # It is the memory of past happiness that makes the present… ![“It is the memory of past happiness that makes the present so intolerable.” quote by Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/fay-weldon-3097_happiness_it-is-the-memory-of-past-happiness-that_2075238.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/fay-weldon-3097_happiness_it-is-the-memory-of-past-happiness-that_2075238.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/fay-weldon-3097_happiness_it-is-the-memory-of-past-happiness-that_2075238.png) > ““It is the memory of past happiness that makes the present so intolerable.”” [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recalling past joy highlights current dissatisfaction, making present hardships feel harsher. **In simple terms:** Past joy makes now feel worse. Key Takeaway Acknowledge past happiness without letting it cloud the present. Themes nostalgia comparison discontent Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationship breakup - career transition - grief processing - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology memory perception Questions to Reflect On - How does nostalgia affect your current satisfaction? - What can you do to appreciate the present? A Different Perspective Past memories can idealize former times, skewing present evaluation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Intolerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intolerable/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Memory Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-past/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-happiness/) [Present Intolerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-intolerable-4025406/) ## Related quotes > [“The main benefit of memory for past events may be that it allows us to imagine future events.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-suddendorf/the-main-benefit-of-memory-for-past-events-may-be-that-it-allows-us/) [Thomas Suddendorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-suddendorf/) > [I know not why there is such a melancholy feeling attached to the remembrance of past happiness, except that we fear that the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-ward-howe/i-know-not-why-there-is-such-a-melancholy-feeling-attached-to-the/) [Julia Ward Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-ward-howe/) > [There is no greater pain than to remember, in our present grief, past happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/there-is-no-greater-pain-than-to-remember-in-our-present-grief-past/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Going back into the negative past to find happiness is like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-banks/going-back-into-the-negative-past-to-find-happiness-is-like-trying-to/) [Sydney Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-banks/) > [“At some point, you just gotta forgive the past, your happiness hinges on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-lauritsen/at-some-point-you-just-gotta-forgive-the-past-your-happiness-hinges/) [Aaron Lauritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-lauritsen/) > [“WHEN any extraordinary events, unexpected anxieties or catastrophes, intrude themselves suddenly into a life up to that period peaceful and happy, these unexpected emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/when-any-extraordinary-events-unexpected-anxieties-or-catastrophes/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Past happiness augments present wretchedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/past-happiness-augments-present-wretchedness/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [“Yes, yes, it ended in my corrupting them all! 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