--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But we don’t remember those lives. We…" description: "\"But we don’t remember those lives. We can’t read our diaries.’ ‘It doesn’t matter. We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/isaac-marion-1033_diaries_but-we-don-t-remember-those-lives-we-can_1542276.png" --- # But we don’t remember those lives. We can’t read our… ![“But we don’t remember those lives. We can’t read our diaries.’ ‘It doesn’t matter. We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we go next.’ ‘But can we choose that?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘We’re Dead. Can we really choose anything?’ ‘Maybe. If we want to bad enough.” quote by Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/isaac-marion-1033_diaries_but-we-don-t-remember-those-lives-we-can_1542276.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/isaac-marion-1033_diaries_but-we-don-t-remember-those-lives-we-can_1542276.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/isaac-marion-1033_diaries_but-we-don-t-remember-those-lives-we-can_1542276.png) > “But we don’t remember those lives. We can’t read our diaries.’ ‘It doesn’t matter. We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we go next.’ ‘But can we choose that?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘We’re Dead. Can we really choose anything?’ ‘Maybe. If we want to bad enough.” [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The dialogue explores existential uncertainty and the tension between determinism and free will, suggesting that despite unknown pasts, future choices matter. **In simple terms:** We may not know our past, but we can shape our future. Key Takeaway Embrace agency despite uncertainty. Themes existentialism free will identity purpose uncertainty Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical conversational When to use this quote - personal reflection - philosophical discussion - decision making Key Concepts determinism choice meaning Questions to Reflect On - What can you control now? - How does uncertainty affect your decisions? A Different Perspective Our past is unknowable, limiting certainty about future choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Diaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaries/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we go next.' 'But can we choose that?' 'I don't know.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/we-are-where-we-are-however-we-got-here-what-matters-is-where-we-go-2/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [Can we really choose anything?' 'Maybe. If we want to bad enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/can-we-really-choose-anything-maybe-if-we-want-to-bad-enough/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [When you cant remember your lives, you cant change your lives, and that is the terrible and the secret fate of all life. Youre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truedetective/when-you-cant-remember-your-lives-you-cant-change-your-lives-and-that/) TrueDetective > [“That’s what happens when you force someone to choose. Maybe they pick option A, maybe they pick option B, but most will go for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/that-s-what-happens-when-you-force-someone-to-choose-maybe-they-pick/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“I have learned that some people come into our lives, and then are gone. And that part of the thing, part of life, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-lake/i-have-learned-that-some-people-come-into-our-lives-and-then-are-gone/) [Nick Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-lake/) > [“Forget everything else. Keep hold of this alone and remember it: Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/forget-everything-else-keep-hold-of-this-alone-and-remember-it-each/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [It doen't matter what you've been through, where you come from... none of that matters. What matters is how you choose to love, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/it-doen-t-matter-what-you-ve-been-through-where-you-come-from-none-of/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“the important thing is not what you may think is precisely right or wrong. What matters is that you choose to have an opinion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-important-thing-is-not-what-you-may-think-is-precisely-right-or/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [If You Look for Good, You'll find Good. If You are looking for Bad, You'll find Bad. In Life, You always find What You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/if-you-look-for-good-you-ll-find-good-if-you-are-looking-for-bad-you/) Pacifiersucker > [Every one has a light and dark part in themselves, what matters is the part you choose to act on and thats who you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-one-has-a-light-and-dark-part-in-themselves-what-matters-is-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You've gotta let go of that stuff from the past, cause it just doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/po/you-ve-gotta-let-go-of-that-stuff-from-the-past-cause-it-just-doesn-t/) Po > [We've all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-ve-all-got-both-light-and-dark-inside-of-us-what-matters-is-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's easy to waste too many words—and too much energy—on nonsense we don't even care about. What a relief it is to start giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stabile/it-s-easy-to-waste-too-many-words-and-too-much-energy-on-nonsense-we/) [Scott Stabile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stabile/) > [If you look for good you will find good. If you look for Bad you will find Bad. Only thing that matters is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshunf/if-you-look-for-good-you-will-find-good-if-you-look-for-bad-you-will/) [Himanshunf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshunf/) > [“It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/it-s-not-what-happens-to-you-but-how-you-react-to-it-that-matters-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) ## More by Isaac Marion > [“Our cadaverous cadre has been walking for little over a day...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/our-cadaverous-cadre-has-been-walking-for-little-over-a-day/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [“These people, these beautiful Living women, they don't seem to make the connection between me and the creatures that keep killing everything they love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/these-people-these-beautiful-living-women-they-don-t-seem-to-make-the/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [“Good people see past their own fucking lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/good-people-see-past-their-own-fucking-lives/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [My favorite songs change every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/my-favorite-songs-change-every-year/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [“You and I are victims of the same disease. We're fighting the same war, just different battles in different theaters, and it's way too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/you-and-i-are-victims-of-the-same-disease-we-re-fighting-the-same-war/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [“She looks at her wrist, those thin scars like an entry stamp for some horrible concert. 'All the shitty stuff people do to themselves...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/she-looks-at-her-wrist-those-thin-scars-like-an-entry-stamp-for-some/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [“I guess I talk a lot of shit about Perry, but it's not like I'm such a shiny happy person either, you know? I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/i-guess-i-talk-a-lot-of-shit-about-perry-but-it-s-not-like-i-m-such-a/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I'm drowning in ellipses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/i-want-to-change-my-punctuation-i-long-for-exclamation-marks-but-i-m/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [I feel the flatline of my existence disrupting, forming heartbeat hills and valleys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/i-feel-the-flatline-of-my-existence-disrupting-forming-heartbeat/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [But it does make me sad that we've forgotten our names. Out of everything, this seems to me the most tragic. I miss my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/but-it-does-make-me-sad-that-we-ve-forgotten-our-names-out-of/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [It's not like I'm such a shiny happy person either, you know? I'm a wreck too, I'm just... still alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/it-s-not-like-i-m-such-a-shiny-happy-person-either-you-know-i-m-a/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [“I run through the dark entry corridor toward the light on the other end, wondering if this is a birth canal or the tunnel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/i-run-through-the-dark-entry-corridor-toward-the-light-on-the-other/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [“I want the pain of knowing them, and by extension myself: who and what I really am. Maybe with that scalpel, red-hot and sterilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/i-want-the-pain-of-knowing-them-and-by-extension-myself-who-and-what/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [Just... ate," M says, frowning at me a little. "Two days...ago." I grab my stomach again. "Feel empty. Feel... dead." He nods. "Marr...iage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/just-ate-m-says-frowning-at-me-a-little-two-days-ago-i-grab-my/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [It’s sad to see them staring wistfully through the window when the door isn’t locked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/it-s-sad-to-see-them-staring-wistfully-through-the-window-when-the/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) [Explore all 273 Isaac Marion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) ## More Diaries quotes > [My life always came first. When I got nominated for Diary of a Mad Housewife, I didn't think, 'Aah, now I'll get more money.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-snodgress/my-life-always-came-first-when-i-got-nominated-for-diary-of-a-mad/) [Carrie Snodgress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-snodgress/) > ['Dirt Road Diaries,' in my mind, is a perfect country guy song. It speaks to the hard-working guy, and I'm excited for the fans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/dirt-road-diaries-in-my-mind-is-a-perfect-country-guy-song-it-speaks/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [I don't want to be singing my diary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-jones/i-don-t-want-to-be-singing-my-diary/) [Norah Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-jones/) > [Experience is the only real teacher and if you keep a diary you get three bites at educating yourself - when it happens, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/experience-is-the-only-real-teacher-and-if-you-keep-a-diary-you-get/) [Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/) > [ I went to NYU graduate film school and met Pam \[Romanowsky\], and after doing a few things with her I thought she had the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franco/i-went-to-nyu-graduate-film-school-and-met-pam-romanowsky-and-after/) [James Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franco/) > [After Princess Diaries, I was labeled a good girl, and for the first eight years of my career I had to fight to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/after-princess-diaries-i-was-labeled-a-good-girl-and-for-the-first/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [I've found myself moved by letters and diaries in archives as well as trashy, summer blockbusters. It's possible to make a connection with any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-ve-found-myself-moved-by-letters-and-diaries-in-archives-as-well-as/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [A man's diary is a record in youth of his sentiments, in middle age of his actions, in old age of his reflections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/a-man-s-diary-is-a-record-in-youth-of-his-sentiments-in-middle-age-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [There are two types of encryption: one that will prevent your sister from reading your diary and one that will prevent your government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/there-are-two-types-of-encryption-one-that-will-prevent-your-sister/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [I keep a diary - one for each film and foreign land I travel to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/i-keep-a-diary-one-for-each-film-and-foreign-land-i-travel-to/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [Don't read my diary when I'm gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/don-t-read-my-diary-when-i-m-gone/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Memory is the diary that chronicles things that never happened or couldn't possibly have happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/memory-is-the-diary-that-chronicles-things-that-never-happened-or/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I need a moment of time for myself every day, like a child playing with his things. When I travel, I routinely find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-need-a-moment-of-time-for-myself-every-day-like-a-child-playing/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't keep diaries anymore; They're quite incriminating. I just keep all the dirt road diaries in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-don-t-keep-diaries-anymore-they-re-quite-incriminating-i-just-keep/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [Though with Bridget Jones's Baby: the Diaries, I'd like to make it clear that I did not ever get pregnant by two men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fielding/though-with-bridget-jones-s-baby-the-diaries-i-d-like-to-make-it/) [Helen Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fielding/) [Browse all 502 Diaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But we don’t remember those lives. 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