---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing from memory like this, I often…"
description: "\"“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 me there is a d..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/haruki-murakami-21_fear_writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-fe_903626.jpg"
---

#  Writing from memory like this, I often feel a pang of…

![“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 me there is a dark limbo where all the the truly important memories are heaped and slowly turning into mud?” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/haruki-murakami-21_fear_writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-fe_903626.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/haruki-murakami-21_fear_writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-fe_903626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/haruki-murakami-21_fear_writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-fe_903626.jpg)

> ““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 me there is a dark limbo where all the the truly important memories are heaped and slowly turning into mud?””

[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 fear of losing essential memories creates anxiety about identity and meaning.

**In simple terms:** Worried about forgetting important memories.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge and record key memories now.

Themes

memory anxiety identity creativity

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing
- personal reflection
- creative process
- self‑assessment

Key Concepts

existential dread psychological fragility

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you preserve what matters?
- What triggers your fear of forgetting?

A Different Perspective

Memory loss can distort self‑perception and hinder growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [What if I’ve forgotten the most important thing? What if somewhere inside me there is a dark limbo where all the truly important memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/what-if-i-ve-forgotten-the-most-important-thing-what-if-somewhere/)

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

> [“I will feel the pang of separation when she is two, when she is twelve, when she is twenty. My daughter will tackle other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-j-buchanan/i-will-feel-the-pang-of-separation-when-she-is-two-when-she-is-twelve/)

[Andrea J. Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-j-buchanan/)

> [“No one likes to look at me. I scare them. I feel the pang of rejection and swallow it down”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-s-wrights/no-one-likes-to-look-at-me-i-scare-them-i-feel-the-pang-of-rejection/)

[D.S. Wrights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-s-wrights/)

> [I feel this pang of regret whenever I watch sport; this sense that I will never play a big match again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/i-feel-this-pang-of-regret-whenever-i-watch-sport-this-sense-that-i/)

[David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/)

> [“He instantly covers my fingers with his own, giving me his slow, intoxicating smile. I feel a pang, as though I'm handing over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huntley-fitzpatrick/he-instantly-covers-my-fingers-with-his-own-giving-me-his-slow/)

[Huntley Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huntley-fitzpatrick/)

> [“She waited to feel a pang of shame at hitting below the belt like this and was pleased - or maybe it was relief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/she-waited-to-feel-a-pang-of-shame-at-hitting-below-the-belt-like/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-think-memory-is-the-most-important-asset-of-human-beings-it-s-a/)

[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/)

[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/)

> [“All of a sudden out of nowhere I can bring back things I haven't thought about for years. It's pretty interesting. Memory is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/all-of-a-sudden-out-of-nowhere-i-can-bring-back-things-i-haven-t/)

[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/)

> [Most things are forgotten over time. Even the war itself, the life-and-death struggle people went through is now like something from the distant past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/most-things-are-forgotten-over-time-even-the-war-itself-the-life-and/)

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

> [“My memory often seems like a city of exiled poets afire with the astonishment of language, each believing in the integrity of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-memory-often-seems-like-a-city-of-exiled-poets-afire-with-the/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/)

[Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/)

## 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 Dread quotes

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Smart people duck when they hear the dread announcement 'I'm going to be perfectly honest with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/smart-people-duck-when-they-hear-the-dread-announcement-i-m-going-to/)

[Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/)

> [In times of dread, artists must never choose to remain silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-times-of-dread-artists-must-never-choose-to-remain-silent/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Oh, I'm being eaten By a boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor, And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/oh-i-m-being-eaten-by-a-boa-constrictor-a-boa-constrictor-a-boa/)

[Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/)

> [Present sufferings seem far greater to men than those they merely dread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/present-sufferings-seem-far-greater-to-men-than-those-they-merely/)

[Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/)

> [The advance of science spares us from irrational dread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-advance-of-science-spares-us-from-irrational-dread/)

[Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/)

> [I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/i-think-writer-s-block-is-simply-the-dread-that-you-are-going-to/)

[Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/)

> [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/)

[Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/)

> [The psychological condition of fear is divorced from any concrete and true immediate danger. It comes in many forms: unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-psychological-condition-of-fear-is-divorced-from-any-concrete-and/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Back to the bad. Makes them mad. Say I won't . But you'll see it when I do. Don't have a clue? Well, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/back-to-the-bad-makes-them-mad-say-i-won-t-but-you-ll-see-it-when-i/)

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

> [There is a certain freedom in giving up all hope. One is no longer bound by the cords of dread or fear; you simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/there-is-a-certain-freedom-in-giving-up-all-hope-one-is-no-longer/)

[Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/)

> [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/)

[Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/)

> [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/)

[E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/)

> [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [Communism worked honestly by officials devoid of human frailties and devoted to nothing but the good of its slaves, would have certain manifest material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/communism-worked-honestly-by-officials-devoid-of-human-frailties-and/)

[Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/)

Browse all 813 Dread quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“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 me there is a dark limbo where all the the truly important memories are heaped and slowly turning into mud?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-feel-a-pang-of-dread-what-if-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dread"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-feel-a-pang-of-dread-what-if-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/haruki-murakami-21_fear_writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-fe_903626.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/haruki-murakami-21_fear_writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-fe_903626.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0e/haruki-murakami-21_fear_writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-fe_903626.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Writing from memory like this, I often feel a pang of dread. What if I've forgotten the most important…” — 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": "“Writing from memory like this, I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-feel-a-pang-of-dread-what-if-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/writing-from-memory-like-this-i-often-feel-a-pang-of-dread-what-if-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
