Childhood Quote by Gene Wolfe
““... I believe in some sense much akin to the belief of faith, that I noticed, felt, or underwent what I describe—but it may be that the only reason childhood memories act on us so strongly is that, being the most remote we possess, they are the worst remembered and so offer the least resistance to that process by which we mold them nearer and nearer to an ideal which is fundamentally artistic, or at least nonfactual; so it may be that some of these events I describe never occurred at all, but only should have, and that others had not the shades and flavors—for example, of jealousy or antiquity or shame—that I have later unconsciously chosen to give them...””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, 1980
Childhood memories are reshaped, idealized, and sometimes fabricated, influencing us strongly because they are distant and malleable.
In simple terms: Memories change and become idealized.
Key Takeaway
Recognize memory bias.
Themes
memory
nostalgia
perception
Mood
reflective
nostalgic
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- therapy
- writing
- historical research
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
psychology
subjectivity
artistic idealism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do idealized memories affect decisions?
- Can we trust our past?
A Different Perspective
Memories may be false yet still shape identity.
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