---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think memory is the most important…"
description: "\"I think memory is the most important asset of human beings. It's a kind of fuel; it burns and it warms you. My memory is like a chest: There are so man..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/haruki-murakami-21_air_i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-ass_149189.jpg"
---

#  I think memory is the most important asset of human…

![“I think memory is the most important asset of human beings. It's a kind of fuel; it burns and it warms you. My memory is like a chest: There are so many drawers in that chest, and when I want to be a fifteen-year-old boy, I open up a certain drawer and I find the scenery I saw when I was a boy in…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/haruki-murakami-21_air_i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-ass_149189.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/haruki-murakami-21_air_i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-ass_149189.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/haruki-murakami-21_air_i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-ass_149189.jpg)

> “I think memory is the most important asset of human beings. It's a kind of fuel; it burns and it warms you. My memory is like a chest: There are so many drawers in that chest, and when I want to be a fifteen-year-old boy, I open up a certain drawer and I find the scenery I saw when I was a boy in Kobe. I can smell the air, and I can touch the ground, and I can see the green of the trees. That's why I want to write a book.”

[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.

Memory is portrayed as a vital, sensory-rich resource that shapes identity and fuels creativity.

**In simple terms:** Memory fuels identity and creativity.

Key Takeaway

Cherish and explore your memories.

Themes

identity creativity nostalgia memory writing

Mood

reflective inspired melancholic

Type

philosophical personal inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing a novel
- personal reflection
- therapy
- teaching
- marketing

Key Concepts

psychology neuroscience storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you use memory to inspire your work?
- What risks arise from relying on nostalgic recollections?

A Different Perspective

Memory can be unreliable and selective, limiting its usefulness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Fifteen years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifteen-years/) [Fifteen years old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifteen-years-old/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Scenery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenery/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [A story is ultimately a memory. It's important when you're telling a story to think about why this memory is a memory. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-besser/a-story-is-ultimately-a-memory-it-s-important-when-you-re-telling-a/)

[Matt Besser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-besser/)

> [“I think of the memory as being rather like a dam," he said, after a pause for thought. "It irrigates and gives life to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-atxaga/i-think-of-the-memory-as-being-rather-like-a-dam-he-said-after-a/)

Bernardo Atxaga

> [“Writing from memory like this, I often feel a pang of dread. What if I've forgotten the most important thing? What if somewhere inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-feel-a-pang-of-dread-what-if-i/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory/)

[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-2/)

[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/)

> [Memory is so crazy! It's like we've got these drawers crammed with tons of useless stuff. Meanwhile, all the really important things we just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-so-crazy-it-s-like-we-ve-got-these-drawers-crammed-with/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Pictures can live in one's memory. That's why they are important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/pictures-can-live-in-one-s-memory-that-s-why-they-are-important/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [I've been a foreigner for the past twenty years. I don't have roots anymore. My roots are in my memory and my writing. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-ve-been-a-foreigner-for-the-past-twenty-years-i-don-t-have-roots/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“These memories descend out of nowhere, giving me pieces of who I was, but their significance is lost. I sigh and resume my walk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-pearson/these-memories-descend-out-of-nowhere-giving-me-pieces-of-who-i-was/)

[Mary E. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-pearson/)

> [Institutional memory is important in any organization, but so are fresh ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/institutional-memory-is-important-in-any-organization-but-so-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [RAM: This gives guys a way of deciding whose computer has the biggest, studliest memory. That's important, because the more memory a computer has,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/ram-this-gives-guys-a-way-of-deciding-whose-computer-has-the-biggest/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [Memory is very important, the memory of each photo taken, flowing at the same speed as the event. During the work, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/memory-is-very-important-the-memory-of-each-photo-taken-flowing-at/)

[Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/)

> [“You probably don't remember that, do you? Depression has a way of vaporizing big parts of your memory. Important parts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-magary/you-probably-don-t-remember-that-do-you-depression-has-a-way-of/)

[Drew Magary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-magary/)

> [You cannot suddenly make Lower Manhattan into a sad place because we saw such a dramatic loss of life. You have to balance the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/you-cannot-suddenly-make-lower-manhattan-into-a-sad-place-because-we/)

[Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/)

## 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 Air quotes

> [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/)

[Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/)

[Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/)

> [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/)

[Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/)

> [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

Browse all 6,278 Air quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think memory is the most important asset of human beings. It's a kind of fuel; it burns and it warms you. My memory is like a chest: There are so many drawers in that chest, and when I want to be a fifteen-year-old boy, I open up a certain drawer and I find the scenery I saw when I was a boy in Kobe. I can smell the air, and I can touch the ground, and I can see the green of the trees. That's why I want to write a book.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-asset-of-human-beings-it-s-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Air"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-asset-of-human-beings-it-s-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/haruki-murakami-21_air_i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-ass_149189.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/haruki-murakami-21_air_i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-ass_149189.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/haruki-murakami-21_air_i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-ass_149189.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think memory is the most important asset of human beings. It's a kind of fuel; it burns and it warms you…” — Haruki Murakami",
                "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": "Haruki Murakami",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think memory is the most...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-asset-of-human-beings-it-s-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-asset-of-human-beings-it-s-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
