--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Memory's images, once they are fixed in…" description: "\"“Memory's images, once they are fixed in words, are erased.”\" — Italo Calvino" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/italo-calvino-402_memory_memory-s-images-once-they-are-fixed-in-w_899266.jpg" --- # Memory's images, once they are fixed in words, are erased. ![“Memory's images, once they are fixed in words, are erased.” quote by Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/italo-calvino-402_memory_memory-s-images-once-they-are-fixed-in-w_899266.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/italo-calvino-402_memory_memory-s-images-once-they-are-fixed-in-w_899266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/italo-calvino-402_memory_memory-s-images-once-they-are-fixed-in-w_899266.jpg) > ““Memory's images, once they are fixed in words, are erased.”” [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When images are translated into language, the original visual memory fades, as words replace the picture in the mind. **In simple terms:** Words replace images, erasing the original picture. Key Takeaway Be aware that describing can alter memory. Themes memory language perception Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - writing notes - teaching - storytelling Key Concepts semiotics cognitive decay Questions to Reflect On - How does describing a memory change its feel? - Can language ever fully capture a visual experience? A Different Perspective The original image may still influence thought despite being verbalized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Erased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erased/) [Images Fixed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/images-fixed-1224728/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Memory Images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-images-1224727/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Erased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-erased-1224726/) ## Related quotes > [Memories images, once they are fixed in words, are erased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/memories-images-once-they-are-fixed-in-words-are-erased/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [Memory's images, once they are fixed in words, are erased," Polo said. "Perhaps I am afraid of losing Venice all at once, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/memory-s-images-once-they-are-fixed-in-words-are-erased-polo-said/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [We store in memory only images of value. The value may be lost over the passage of time, but that's the implacable judgment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-hampl/we-store-in-memory-only-images-of-value-the-value-may-be-lost-over/) [Patricia Hampl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-hampl/) > [Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to-3/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“the answer is to just let go the betrayal is to the past the cocoon dangles empty the desire outlasts the object the effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-answer-is-to-just-let-go-the-betrayal-is-to-the-past-the-cocoon/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to-2/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) > [“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/) > [“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 Italo Calvino > [“(one would say yes, if not every day, at least fairly regularly), whether only for yourself or also for others (often only for yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/one-would-say-yes-if-not-every-day-at-least-fairly-regularly-whether/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“The Great Khan tried to concentrate on the game: but now it was the game’s reason that eluded him. The end of every game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-great-khan-tried-to-concentrate-on-the-game-but-now-it-was-the/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“Or else you can say, like the camel driver who took me there: "I arrived here in my first youth, one morning, many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/or-else-you-can-say-like-the-camel-driver-who-took-me-there-i-arrived/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“The naked man had lost hope now; he would never be able to return to the earth's surface;he would never leave the bottom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-naked-man-had-lost-hope-now-he-would-never-be-able-to-return-to/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“The art of writing tales consists in an ability to draw the rest of life from the little one has understood of it; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-art-of-writing-tales-consists-in-an-ability-to-draw-the-rest-of/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“I ask you to come down to earth," said the Baron in a calm, rather faint voice, "and to take up the duties of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/i-ask-you-to-come-down-to-earth-said-the-baron-in-a-calm-rather-faint/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [The unconscious is the ocean of the unsayable, of what has been expelled from the land of language, removed as a result of ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-unconscious-is-the-ocean-of-the-unsayable-of-what-has-been/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“... KUBLAI: We have proved that if we were here, we would not be. POLO: And here, in fact, we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/kublai-we-have-proved-that-if-we-were-here-we-would-not-be-polo-and/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“And yet, in Raissa, at every moment there is a child in a window who laughs seeing a dog that has jumped on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/and-yet-in-raissa-at-every-moment-there-is-a-child-in-a-window-who/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“Ludmilla, now you are being read. Your body is being subjected to a systematic reading, through channels of tactile information, visual, olfactory, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/ludmilla-now-you-are-being-read-your-body-is-being-subjected-to-a/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“Once the process of falsification is set in motion, it won't stop. We're in a country where everything that can be falsified has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/once-the-process-of-falsification-is-set-in-motion-it-won-t-stop-we/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“Your case gives me new hope," I said to him. "With me, more and more often I happen to pick up a novel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/your-case-gives-me-new-hope-i-said-to-him-with-me-more-and-more-often/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [We could say, then, that man is an instrument the world employs to renew its own image constantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/we-could-say-then-that-man-is-an-instrument-the-world-employs-to/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“Perhaps it is this story that is a bridge over the void, and as it advances it flings forward news and sensations and emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/perhaps-it-is-this-story-that-is-a-bridge-over-the-void-and-as-it/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [Yet, even now, ever time (often) that I find that I don't understand something, then instinctively, I'm filled with the hope that perhaps this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/yet-even-now-ever-time-often-that-i-find-that-i-don-t-understand/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) [Explore all 468 Italo Calvino quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erased/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Memory's images, once they are fixed in words, are erased.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Italo Calvino" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": 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