--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At times I feel as if I had lived all…" description: "\"“At times I feel as if I had lived all this before and that I have already written these very words, but I know it was not I: it was another woman, who..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/isabel-allende-266_another-woman_at-times-i-feel-as-if-i-had-lived-all-th_41405.jpg" --- # At times I feel as if I had lived all this before and that… ![“At times I feel as if I had lived all this before and that I have already written these very words, but I know it was not I: it was another woman, who kept her notebooks so that one day I could use them. I write, she wrote, that memory is fragile and the space of a single life is brief, passing so…” quote by Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/isabel-allende-266_another-woman_at-times-i-feel-as-if-i-had-lived-all-th_41405.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/isabel-allende-266_another-woman_at-times-i-feel-as-if-i-had-lived-all-th_41405.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/isabel-allende-266_another-woman_at-times-i-feel-as-if-i-had-lived-all-th_41405.jpg) > ““At times I feel as if I had lived all this before and that I have already written these very words, but I know it was not I: it was another woman, who kept her notebooks so that one day I could use them. I write, she wrote, that memory is fragile and the space of a single life is brief, passing so quickly that we never get a chance to see the relationship between events; we cannot gauge the consequences of our acts, and we believe in the fiction of past, present, and future, but it may also be true that everything happens simultaneously. ... That's why my Grandmother Clara wrote in her notebooks, in order to see things in their true dimension and to defy her own poor memory.”” [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on the feeling of déjà vu and the desire to capture fleeting moments, suggesting that memory is unreliable and that writing can preserve insight across time. **In simple terms:** Writing preserves fleeting insight. Key Takeaway Memory is fragile; writing anchors it. Themes memory time intergenerational wisdom subjectivity impermanence Mood nostalgic contemplative hopeful Type philosophical personal reflective When to use this quote - reflecting on personal history - preserving family stories - seeking continuity across generations - confronting the limits of memory - exploring philosophical ideas of time Key Concepts fragility of memory subjectivity of experience theative of writing temporal perception Practical Applications - journaling for personal clarity - archiving family narratives for future reference Questions to Reflect On - How does writing change your perception of time? - What role does intergenerational knowledge play in shaping identity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Past present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-present/) [Past present and future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-present-and-future/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Poor memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-memory/) [Single life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-life/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [“I write, she wrote, that memory is fragile and the space of a single life is brief, passing so quickly that we never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-write-she-wrote-that-memory-is-fragile-and-the-space-of-a-single-2/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Barrabas came to us by sea, the child Clara wrote in her delicate calligraphy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/barrabas-came-to-us-by-sea-the-child-clara-wrote-in-her-delicate/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [...memory is fragile and the space of a single life is brief, passing so quickly that we never get a chance to see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/memory-is-fragile-and-the-space-of-a-single-life-is-brief-passing-so/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“I feel like... the boy lost somewhere between the torment of memory and a few fragile shards of hope. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-feel-like-the-boy-lost-somewhere-between-the-torment-of-memory-and/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“And I tell myself at the same time that we're terrible judges of the present moment, maybe because the present doesn't actually exist: all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-gabriel-v-squez/and-i-tell-myself-at-the-same-time-that-we-re-terrible-judges-of-the/) [Juan Gabriel Vásquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-gabriel-v-squez/) > [“Now that so many years have passed, now that I remember with the benefit of an understanding I didn't then have, I think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-gabriel-v-squez/now-that-so-many-years-have-passed-now-that-i-remember-with-the/) [Juan Gabriel Vásquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-gabriel-v-squez/) > [“Sometimes I cannot tell who wrote what. That is upsetting. With some sections, I can remember the place and time I wrote them, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/sometimes-i-cannot-tell-who-wrote-what-that-is-upsetting-with-some/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [I have a poor memory for names; but I seldom remember a face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/i-have-a-poor-memory-for-names-but-i-seldom-remember-a-face/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [“I don't know how long I stayed in that particular place my poor memory is not a chronometer nor a movie camera nor a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-how-long-i-stayed-in-that-particular-place-my-poor/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Choline, an amino acid often prescribed for poor memory, absent-mindedness, and other cerebral inneficiencies associated with senility, is therapeutically impotent unless taken in conjunction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-p-reid/choline-an-amino-acid-often-prescribed-for-poor-memory-absent/) [Daniel P. Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-p-reid/) > [Sometimes he felt sure that the key to happiness was a poor memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/sometimes-he-felt-sure-that-the-key-to-happiness-was-a-poor-memory/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“In a feverish fantasy, I imagined that there had been a time, when the world was young, that stars filled the sky - made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-arkenberg/in-a-feverish-fantasy-i-imagined-that-there-had-been-a-time-when-the/) Megan Arkenberg > [“Your clear conscience is due to a poor memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-clear-conscience-is-due-to-a-poor-memory/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He didn‘t care what she said—happiness was a lot more than good health and a poor memory. Happiness was this. It was her, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/he-didn-t-care-what-she-said-happiness-was-a-lot-more-than-good/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [“Magnesium deficiency can produce symptoms of anxiety or depression, including muscle weakness, fatigue, eye twitches, insomnia, anorexia, apathy, apprehension, poor memory, confusion, anger, nervousness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-dean/magnesium-deficiency-can-produce-symptoms-of-anxiety-or-depression/) Carolyn Dean ## More by Isabel Allende > [“I am happier when I love than when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, and my grandchildren, my mother, my dog,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-am-happier-when-i-love-than-when-i-am-loved-i-adore-my-husband-my/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Having a point to start is important. You know that when you decide to write something it's like a commitment. It's like falling in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/having-a-point-to-start-is-important-you-know-that-when-you-decide-to/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Music is a wind that blows away the years, memories, and fear, that crouching animal I carry inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/music-is-a-wind-that-blows-away-the-years-memories-and-fear-that/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Everybody has losses - it's unavoidable in life. Sharing our pain is very healing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/everybody-has-losses-it-s-unavoidable-in-life-sharing-our-pain-is/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“The writer and the dreamer have so much in common: They can't control the plot, they are always part of the story or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/the-writer-and-the-dreamer-have-so-much-in-common-they-can-t-control/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [People think that they will sit down and produce the great American novel in one sitting. It doesn't work that way. This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/people-think-that-they-will-sit-down-and-produce-the-great-american/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“He had a principle: if you lend money and never see the person again, that's money well spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/he-had-a-principle-if-you-lend-money-and-never-see-the-person-again/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Catholics form a majority in Chile, although there are more and more Evangelicals and Pentacostals who irritate everyone because they have a direct understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/catholics-form-a-majority-in-chile-although-there-are-more-and-more/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [In 2011, I announced that I was going to retire, and my agent panicked. So she says: 'No, no, no. You have to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/in-2011-i-announced-that-i-was-going-to-retire-and-my-agent-panicked/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I have lived with passion and in a hurry, trying to accomplish too many things. I never had time to think about my beliefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-have-lived-with-passion-and-in-a-hurry-trying-to-accomplish-too/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I'm surrounded by the scene of aging. I myself am in my 70s and not getting any younger. Although I'm very healthy, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-m-surrounded-by-the-scene-of-aging-i-myself-am-in-my-70s-and-not/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I try to write the kind of books I like to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-try-to-write-the-kind-of-books-i-like-to-read/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Intimacy needs time to mature—a shared history, tears shed, obstacles overcome, photographs in an album. It’s a slow-growing plant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/intimacy-needs-time-to-mature-a-shared-history-tears-shed-obstacles/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [ The idea of the book \["The Japanese Lover"\] came in a conversation that I had with a friend walking in the streets of New… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/the-idea-of-the-book-the-japanese-lover-came-in-a-conversation-that-i/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“But that's how nostalgia is: a slow dance in a large circle. Memories don't organize themselves chronologically, they're like smoke, changing, ephemeral, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/but-that-s-how-nostalgia-is-a-slow-dance-in-a-large-circle-memories/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) [Explore all 552 Isabel Allende quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) ## More Another woman quotes > [“I look at you and see a life we’ve yet to build, a love that feels inevitable, waiting to unfold. I look at your face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/i-look-at-you-and-see-a-life-we-ve-yet-to-build-a-love-that-feels/) [Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/) > [“Her face turned to the window, and he saw her swallow. 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Then calmly ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-wells/if-you-find-yourself-comparing-your-abilities-your-work-or-your-body/) [Melissa Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-wells/) > [“...in response to whatever Alice was struggling with, whatever had caused her to withdraw from him, he had chosen the arms of another woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ross/in-response-to-whatever-alice-was-struggling-with-whatever-had-caused/) [Adam Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ross/) > [“Eve: “If you ended up naked and dead with another woman, I'd do the Rumba on your corpse.” Roarke: “You can't do the Rumba.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/eve-if-you-ended-up-naked-and-dead-with-another-woman-i-d-do-the/) [J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [Shes the key to my happiness and the lock of my heart. 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