--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History cannot be erased or…" description: "\"“History cannot be erased or altered.Because that would mean killing yourself.”\" — Haruki Murakami" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/haruki-murakami-21_history_history-cannot-be-erased-or-altered-beca_1701975.jpg" --- # History cannot be erased or altered.Because that would… ![“History cannot be erased or altered.Because that would mean killing yourself.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/haruki-murakami-21_history_history-cannot-be-erased-or-altered-beca_1701975.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/haruki-murakami-21_history_history-cannot-be-erased-or-altered-beca_1701975.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/haruki-murakami-21_history_history-cannot-be-erased-or-altered-beca_1701975.jpg) > ““History cannot be erased or altered.Because that would mean killing yourself.”” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## 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 erasing history is akin to self‑destruction, implying that our past defines us and cannot be undone. **In simple terms:** Erasing history equals erasing oneself. Key Takeaway Preserve memory to maintain identity. Themes history identity memory Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - politics - personal reflection - media narratives Key Concepts philosophy cultural studies Questions to Reflect On - What parts of history should we confront? - How does memory shape self? A Different Perspective May ignore the need for revision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Killing yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing-yourself/) [Wise words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-words/) ## Related quotes > [History will be erased in the universal purgatory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/history-will-be-erased-in-the-universal-purgatory/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“Our family history was erased and rewritten a thousand times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/our-family-history-was-erased-and-rewritten-a-thousand-times/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“People talk about survival. What they mean is killing the other guy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/people-talk-about-survival-what-they-mean-is-killing-the-other-guy/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [When history is erased, people's moral values are also erased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/when-history-is-erased-people-s-moral-values-are-also-erased/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [ “\[Graffiti\] gets erased and painted over, and maybe it's even more beautiful because we know it won't last.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lichtman/graffiti-gets-erased-and-painted-over-and-maybe-it-s-even-more/) Wendy Lichtman > [“My memories will be erased and then I'll be force-fed the story from the society pages?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/my-memories-will-be-erased-and-then-i-ll-be-force-fed-the-story-from/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [I'm glad Wu-Tang was able to inspire other producers and artists, but I would never want to be erased or removed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-m-glad-wu-tang-was-able-to-inspire-other-producers-and-artists-but/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [Hillary has now erased all of her emails, and she also had all of her pantsuits dry cleaned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/hillary-has-now-erased-all-of-her-emails-and-she-also-had-all-of-her/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [The past cannot be changed,forgotten,edited or erased.it can only be accepted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-past-cannot-be-changed-forgotten-edited-or-erased-it-can-only-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pain is erased when inflicted upon others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crixus/pain-is-erased-when-inflicted-upon-others/) Crixus > [“Our first kiss was going to be the lasting kind. The kind she’d never forget. The kiss that erased all others from her past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devney-perry/our-first-kiss-was-going-to-be-the-lasting-kind-the-kind-she-d-never/) [Devney Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devney-perry/) > [“To recklessly excuse a failure is to believe that I’ve effectively erased it from the story of my life, when I’ve actually imprinted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-recklessly-excuse-a-failure-is-to-believe-that-i-ve-effectively/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“I knew we'd cross the line, so I quietly erased it while you weren't looking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-wolchin/i-knew-we-d-cross-the-line-so-i-quietly-erased-it-while-you-weren-t/) [Rachel Wolchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-wolchin/) > [Fame is like a big eraser. It's strange, now that I'm famous. In my parents' opinion, all the shitty things - all the wreckage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/fame-is-like-a-big-eraser-it-s-strange-now-that-i-m-famous-in-my/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [“The next morning, the refugees rose from their agitation to the realization that they were slowly being erased from the world, from its history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-next-morning-the-refugees-rose-from-their-agitation-to-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Erased quotes > [“The next morning, the refugees rose from their agitation to the realization that they were slowly being erased from the world, from its history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-next-morning-the-refugees-rose-from-their-agitation-to-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fame is like a big eraser. It's strange, now that I'm famous. In my parents' opinion, all the shitty things - all the wreckage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/fame-is-like-a-big-eraser-it-s-strange-now-that-i-m-famous-in-my/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [“I knew we'd cross the line, so I quietly erased it while you weren't looking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-wolchin/i-knew-we-d-cross-the-line-so-i-quietly-erased-it-while-you-weren-t/) [Rachel Wolchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-wolchin/) > [“To recklessly excuse a failure is to believe that I’ve effectively erased it from the story of my life, when I’ve actually imprinted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-recklessly-excuse-a-failure-is-to-believe-that-i-ve-effectively/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“Our family history was erased and rewritten a thousand times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/our-family-history-was-erased-and-rewritten-a-thousand-times/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“Our first kiss was going to be the lasting kind. The kind she’d never forget. The kiss that erased all others from her past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devney-perry/our-first-kiss-was-going-to-be-the-lasting-kind-the-kind-she-d-never/) [Devney Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devney-perry/) > [Pain is erased when inflicted upon others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crixus/pain-is-erased-when-inflicted-upon-others/) Crixus > [The past cannot be changed,forgotten,edited or erased.it can only be accepted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-past-cannot-be-changed-forgotten-edited-or-erased-it-can-only-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hillary has now erased all of her emails, and she also had all of her pantsuits dry cleaned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/hillary-has-now-erased-all-of-her-emails-and-she-also-had-all-of-her/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [I'm glad Wu-Tang was able to inspire other producers and artists, but I would never want to be erased or removed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-m-glad-wu-tang-was-able-to-inspire-other-producers-and-artists-but/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [“My memories will be erased and then I'll be force-fed the story from the society pages?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/my-memories-will-be-erased-and-then-i-ll-be-force-fed-the-story-from/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [ “\[Graffiti\] gets erased and painted over, and maybe it's even more beautiful because we know it won't last.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lichtman/graffiti-gets-erased-and-painted-over-and-maybe-it-s-even-more/) Wendy Lichtman > [They say time heals and makes us forget but what we shared will never be erased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-time-heals-and-makes-us-forget-but-what-we-shared-will-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The margins don't get erased by simply insisting that the powers-that-be erase them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-boyle/the-margins-don-t-get-erased-by-simply-insisting-that-the-powers-that/) [Greg Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-boyle/) > [When you got born again your past was not erased, it became non-existent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-oyakhilome/when-you-got-born-again-your-past-was-not-erased-it-became-non/) [Chris Oyakhilome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-oyakhilome/) Browse all 92 Erased quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“History cannot be erased or altered.Because that would mean killing yourself.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Haruki Murakami" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/history-cannot-be-erased-or-altered-because-that-would-mean-killing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Erased" }, "@id": 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