---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe memory is overrated. Maybe…"
description: "\"“Maybe memory is overrated. Maybe forgetting is better. (Show me the Proust of forgetting, and I'll read him tomorrow.) Sometimes it's like juggling a ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/francisco-goldman-19172_forgetting_maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetti_2557128.jpg"
---

#  Maybe memory is overrated. Maybe forgetting is better…

![“Maybe memory is overrated. Maybe forgetting is better. (Show me the Proust of forgetting, and I'll read him tomorrow.) Sometimes it's like juggling a hundred thousand crystal balls in the air at once, trying to keep all these memories going. Every time one falls to the floor and shatters into…” quote by Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/francisco-goldman-19172_forgetting_maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetti_2557128.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/francisco-goldman-19172_forgetting_maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetti_2557128.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/francisco-goldman-19172_forgetting_maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetti_2557128.jpg)

> ““Maybe memory is overrated. Maybe forgetting is better. (Show me the Proust of forgetting, and I'll read him tomorrow.) Sometimes it's like juggling a hundred thousand crystal balls in the air at once, trying to keep all these memories going. Every time one falls to the floor and shatters into dust, another crevice cracks open inside me, through which another chunk of who we were disappears forever.””

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote suggests that forgetting can be as valuable as remembering, as each lost memory creates space for new identity and growth.

**In simple terms:** Forgetting can free us and reshape who we are.

Key Takeaway

Embrace forgetting as a tool for renewal.

Themes

memory identity growth loss renewal

Mood

reflective melancholic hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- creative writing
- therapy
- life transitions
- mental health

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy neuroscience

Questions to Reflect On

- What memories do you cling to that might hinder growth?
- How can intentional forgetting improve wellbeing?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on forgetting may lead to loss of valuable lessons or cultural heritage.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/)

## Related quotes

> [“Maybe there is something when it all ends. Maybe there is memory, memory of the person you loved, when you lived. Maybe this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-ellison/maybe-there-is-something-when-it-all-ends-maybe-there-is-memory/)

[Kate Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-ellison/)

> [“Maybe you are a memory who is supposed to live forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saleem-sharma/maybe-you-are-a-memory-who-is-supposed-to-live-forever/)

[Saleem Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saleem-sharma/)

> [Maybe the memory does play tricks. Increasingly, I'm thinking, 'What was their name? I knew that name yesterday.' I think that's what happens. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dudley-moore/maybe-the-memory-does-play-tricks-increasingly-i-m-thinking-what-was/)

[Dudley Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dudley-moore/)

> [All this, all of this love we're talking about, it would just be a memory. Maybe not even a memory. Am I wrong? Am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/all-this-all-of-this-love-we-re-talking-about-it-would-just-be-a/)

[Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/)

> [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [I will have spent my life trying to understand the function of remembering, which is not the opposite of forgetting, but rather its lining.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-marker/i-will-have-spent-my-life-trying-to-understand-the-function-of/)

[Chris Marker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-marker/)

> [I thought about forgetting about you, but it just never works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-thought-about-forgetting-about-you-but-it-just-never-works/)

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

> [“The struggle of man against power is the struggle  of memory against forgetting. —Milan Kundera       A”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rana-ayyub/the-struggle-of-man-against-power-is-the-struggle-of-memory-against/)

Rana Ayyub

> [That feeling you get when you know you are forgetting something, but you don't know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-feeling-you-get-when-you-know-you-are-forgetting-something-but/)

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

> [“Forgetting is what nature does best. The universe is a huge forgetting machine. It erases information no matter how hard we try to hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ives-gilman/forgetting-is-what-nature-does-best-the-universe-is-a-huge-forgetting/)

Carolyn Ives Gilman

> [“Keeping histories is as much about knowing what needs forgetting as what ought to be remembered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-bobet/keeping-histories-is-as-much-about-knowing-what-needs-forgetting-as/)

[Leah Bobet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-bobet/)

> [“Who was it said, ‘We forget because we must’? He was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/who-was-it-said-we-forget-because-we-must-he-was-right/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-focus-on-this-one-thing-forgetting-the-past-and-looking-forward-to/)

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

> [The most painful thing in life is losing yourself in the process of valuing someone too much & forgetting that you are special too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-painful-thing-in-life-is-losing-yourself-in-the-process-of/)

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

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

## More by Francisco Goldman

> [I don't impose political responsibilities on my fiction. The last thing I would ever want to do, for example, is write a novel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/i-don-t-impose-political-responsibilities-on-my-fiction-the-last/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [What I see of the US Presidential elections from down here makes me want to disengage from that particular reality and just hole up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/what-i-see-of-the-us-presidential-elections-from-down-here-makes-me/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [“Hold her tight, if you have her; hold her tight, I thought, that's my advice to all the living. Breathe her in, put your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/hold-her-tight-if-you-have-her-hold-her-tight-i-thought-that-s-my/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [Great fiction has been written out of the very darkest circumstances of our narco violence, and nothing written in either fiction or nonfiction has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/great-fiction-has-been-written-out-of-the-very-darkest-circumstances/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [Maybe Pope Francis will say something on his visit to the US, maybe he'll rebuke Donald Trump and anti-immigrant racism and demagoguery beautifully, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/maybe-pope-francis-will-say-something-on-his-visit-to-the-us-maybe-he/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [Interviewing is in some ways the art of memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/interviewing-is-in-some-ways-the-art-of-memory/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [The Democrats are hardly agents of change, or even remotely interesting talkers or reality observers. The workings of actual power in the US is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/the-democrats-are-hardly-agents-of-change-or-even-remotely/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [“I can go years thinking that it seems impossible that I will ever satisfy that appetite again and then it is easy to satisfy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/i-can-go-years-thinking-that-it-seems-impossible-that-i-will-ever/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [Narco fiction novels have a reputation, at least here in Mexico among some of the writers I know, of being somewhat rushed productions, usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/narco-fiction-novels-have-a-reputation-at-least-here-in-mexico-among/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [There's a certain advantage to living in a small country like Guatemala, I think. You don't feel so distant from political reality there. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/there-s-a-certain-advantage-to-living-in-a-small-country-like/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [I'm a little skeptical of so-called narco fiction, I have to say, though some writers I admire may have written some narco fiction. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/i-m-a-little-skeptical-of-so-called-narco-fiction-i-have-to-say/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [I've written one book-length piece of journalism. The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed Bishop Gerardi? That book had an impact. Eight years after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/i-ve-written-one-book-length-piece-of-journalism-the-art-of-political/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [People in the big rich countries are often extremely dismissive of the small countries. They think nothing that happens there is of any interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/people-in-the-big-rich-countries-are-often-extremely-dismissive-of/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [Someone wrote in the New York Times recently that if Donald Trump was allowed to go through with his plans, he'd become one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/someone-wrote-in-the-new-york-times-recently-that-if-donald-trump-was/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

> [Donald Trump is seriously dark and disturbing. You can't just dismiss it as one more example of American pop culture grotesque.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/donald-trump-is-seriously-dark-and-disturbing-you-can-t-just-dismiss/)

[Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

[Explore all 32 Francisco Goldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/)

## More Forgetting quotes

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [The most painful thing in life is losing yourself in the process of valuing someone too much & forgetting that you are special too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-painful-thing-in-life-is-losing-yourself-in-the-process-of/)

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

> [I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-focus-on-this-one-thing-forgetting-the-past-and-looking-forward-to/)

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

> [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [If you can't forgive and forget, pick only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brault/if-you-can-t-forgive-and-forget-pick-only-one/)

[Robert Brault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brault/)

> [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [“Several times that day, the name or thought of Papa had come up. And each time, Francie had felt a flash of tenderness instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/several-times-that-day-the-name-or-thought-of-papa-had-come-up-and/)

[Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/)

> [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Falling out of love is chiefly a matter of forgetting how charming someone is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/falling-out-of-love-is-chiefly-a-matter-of-forgetting-how-charming/)

[Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/)

> [“She's sure, absolutely sure, that what she's waiting for will happen, just the way she wants it to; and I'm so uncertain, so fearful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/she-s-sure-absolutely-sure-that-what-she-s-waiting-for-will-happen/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [Im afraid of being forgotten. Because, it seems everyone I get close to, ends up forgetting me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arcine-arciniegas/im-afraid-of-being-forgotten-because-it-seems-everyone-i-get-close-to/)

[Arcine Arciniegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arcine-arciniegas/)

> [“Keeping histories is as much about knowing what needs forgetting as what ought to be remembered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-bobet/keeping-histories-is-as-much-about-knowing-what-needs-forgetting-as/)

[Leah Bobet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-bobet/)

> [“Forgetting is what nature does best. The universe is a huge forgetting machine. It erases information no matter how hard we try to hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ives-gilman/forgetting-is-what-nature-does-best-the-universe-is-a-huge-forgetting/)

Carolyn Ives Gilman

> [“Who was it said, ‘We forget because we must’? He was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/who-was-it-said-we-forget-because-we-must-he-was-right/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [Moving on isnt forgetting the past, its learning from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moving-on-isnt-forgetting-the-past-its-learning-from-it/)

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

[Browse all 1,010 Forgetting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Maybe memory is overrated. Maybe forgetting is better. (Show me the Proust of forgetting, and I'll read him tomorrow.) Sometimes it's like juggling a hundred thousand crystal balls in the air at once, trying to keep all these memories going. Every time one falls to the floor and shatters into dust, another crevice cracks open inside me, through which another chunk of who we were disappears forever.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Francisco Goldman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetting-is-better-show-me-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Forgetting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetting-is-better-show-me-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/francisco-goldman-19172_forgetting_maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetti_2557128.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/francisco-goldman-19172_forgetting_maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetti_2557128.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/francisco-goldman-19172_forgetting_maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetti_2557128.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Maybe memory is overrated. Maybe forgetting is better. (Show me the Proust of forgetting, and I'll read him…” — Francisco Goldman",
                "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": "Francisco Goldman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Maybe memory is overrated. Maybe forgetting...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetting-is-better-show-me-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/maybe-memory-is-overrated-maybe-forgetting-is-better-show-me-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```