--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have tried so hard to forget, but…" description: "\"“I have tried so hard to forget, but memory is a stubborn thing. Memories linger no matter what I do. They're there all the time – and worse. Even my d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5e/james-morris-40431_hard-to-forget_i-have-tried-so-hard-to-forget-but-memor_1799217.jpg" --- # I have tried so hard to forget, but memory is a stubborn… ![“I have tried so hard to forget, but memory is a stubborn thing. Memories linger no matter what I do. They're there all the time – and worse. Even my dreams aren't safe. I have vicious nightmares, and they're real – too real – and suddenly I'm back there. I can't will them away, I can't squeeze…” quote by James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5e/james-morris-40431_hard-to-forget_i-have-tried-so-hard-to-forget-but-memor_1799217.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5e/james-morris-40431_hard-to-forget_i-have-tried-so-hard-to-forget-but-memor_1799217.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5e/james-morris-40431_hard-to-forget_i-have-tried-so-hard-to-forget-but-memor_1799217.jpg) > ““I have tried so hard to forget, but memory is a stubborn thing. Memories linger no matter what I do. They're there all the time – and worse. Even my dreams aren't safe. I have vicious nightmares, and they're real – too real – and suddenly I'm back there. I can't will them away, I can't squeeze them away, and the more I try the more they burrow in my head. I want to cut open my skull and dig my fingers into my brain and just pull them out.”” [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes intrusive memories as relentless, urging confronting rather than suppressing them. **In simple terms:** Memories can dominate thoughts. Key Takeaway Seek help to process trauma. Themes trauma memory mental health Mood somber hopeful Type therapeutic reflective When to use this quote - therapy - mindfulness - support groups Key Concepts psychology coping intrusive thoughts Questions to Reflect On - What coping strategies help? - Can sharing lessen their power? A Different Perspective Avoiding may intensify distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmares/) ## Related quotes > [“Do not ignore dreams. They are a line from the past to the future. All nightmares are real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-gladstone/do-not-ignore-dreams-they-are-a-line-from-the-past-to-the-future-all/) [Max Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-gladstone/) > [“He’s breathing like he’s lost his mind and he’s looking at me like something has broken inside of him, like he’s woken up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/he-s-breathing-like-he-s-lost-his-mind-and-he-s-looking-at-me-like/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [There’s a strange quality in stop-motion photography, like in King Kong, that adds to the fantasy. If you make things too real, sometimes you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-harryhausen/there-s-a-strange-quality-in-stop-motion-photography-like-in-king/) [Ray Harryhausen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-harryhausen/) > [“Then there were her rules, rules that stated quite clearly that he was a ‘no-go’ area. She drew a deep breath and tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khul-waters/then-there-were-her-rules-rules-that-stated-quite-clearly-that-he-was/) [Khul Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khul-waters/) > [Yea I got a girl whats the big deal? Niggas tying to ride that they got big wheels had to freestyle cause this shit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tay/yea-i-got-a-girl-whats-the-big-deal-niggas-tying-to-ride-that-they/) [Tay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tay/) > [“Sometimes when things get too real, my sarcasm takes over”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/sometimes-when-things-get-too-real-my-sarcasm-takes-over/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“They really do have nothing in common on paper, these people and him. But yet there are so many common reference points; even some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/they-really-do-have-nothing-in-common-on-paper-these-people-and-him/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [I have my own difficulty with movies in which the suffering of the characters is too real, and many find it difficult to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-have-my-own-difficulty-with-movies-in-which-the-suffering-of-the/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [“Some people are too good to be real; I'm too real to be good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-childers/some-people-are-too-good-to-be-real-i-m-too-real-to-be-good/) Mary Childers > [I'm a businesswoman. You know, I have other investments too, real estate. 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China was humbled by British sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/as-with-france-an-important-consequence-of-the-british-industrial/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [These wounds won't seem to heal This pain is just too real There's just too much that time cannot erase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/these-wounds-won-t-seem-to-heal-this-pain-is-just-too-real-there-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [She clenched her fist in his T-shirt, put her other arm around those too-broad, too-real shoulders. When he tried to pull away, she held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/she-clenched-her-fist-in-his-t-shirt-put-her-other-arm-around-those/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) ## More by James Morris > [“As a writer, you often feel invisible. No one is waiting for what you are writing; life goes on as you sit behind your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/as-a-writer-you-often-feel-invisible-no-one-is-waiting-for-what-you/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) > [“No, I didn't spit in her food. That's gross. But I did wipe her bun on the bottom of my shoe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/no-i-didn-t-spit-in-her-food-that-s-gross-but-i-did-wipe-her-bun-on/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) > [“I close my eyes, but my mind runs and runs. Tubes and fluids enter my body, but there's nothing to stop the anxiety. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/i-close-my-eyes-but-my-mind-runs-and-runs-tubes-and-fluids-enter-my/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) > [“The rain pelted us, each drop a tiny bullet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/the-rain-pelted-us-each-drop-a-tiny-bullet/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) > [“I walked away, feeling his eyes on me and I felt… connected somehow. As if I just met the missing piece of the puzzle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/i-walked-away-feeling-his-eyes-on-me-and-i-felt-connected-somehow-as/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) > [“I always felt prom was one of those overrated high school conventions that people put too much importance on, like New Year's Eve parties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/i-always-felt-prom-was-one-of-those-overrated-high-school-conventions/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) > [“A scent of jasmine and a rasp of sand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/a-scent-of-jasmine-and-a-rasp-of-sand/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) > [“There was no outlet, my fear was so deep and tangible I couldn't scream. It felt like an actual substance that enveloped my body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/there-was-no-outlet-my-fear-was-so-deep-and-tangible-i-couldn-t/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) > [“Hope it didn't come easy. It had to be continuously created and called upon or it would disappear as soon as something else took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/hope-it-didn-t-come-easy-it-had-to-be-continuously-created-and-called/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) > [“Entering the rain forest was like passing through a green curtain into a massive haunted room. It was as claustrophobic as I feared. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morris/entering-the-rain-forest-was-like-passing-through-a-green-curtain/) [James Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) [Explore all 11 James Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morris/) ## More Hard to forget quotes > [In life's orchestra, the bike is the double bass. Hard to forget it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fournel/in-life-s-orchestra-the-bike-is-the-double-bass-hard-to-forget-it/) Paul Fournel > [Dont be hard to get, be hard to forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/dont-be-hard-to-get-be-hard-to-forget/) [Ana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) > [“You tried to so hard to forget me; you burnt the letters I made. Though my memory has been dying, I hope the feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-james/you-tried-to-so-hard-to-forget-me-you-burnt-the-letters-i-made-though/) Joshua James > [It's very hard to forget someone who has given me so much to remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jd/it-s-very-hard-to-forget-someone-who-has-given-me-so-much-to-remember/) JD > [Friends are easy to find, but once they left you,it's so hard to forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracesel-collado/friends-are-easy-to-find-but-once-they-left-you-it-s-so-hard-to-forget/) [Gracesel Collado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracesel-collado/) > [ “The practice of buying off the Vikings will always be associated with Æthelred in particular… \[but\] it was not something which proceeded from Æthelred… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-keynes/the-practice-of-buying-off-the-vikings-will-always-be-associated-with/) Simon Keynes > [Sometimes I hate this songs because they bring the past when you we tried hard to forget those memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushan-r-sharma/sometimes-i-hate-this-songs-because-they-bring-the-past-when-you-we/) [Sushan R Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushan-r-sharma/) > [No matter how I try hard to forget you, My eyes only remember you. Can you think of me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-i-try-hard-to-forget-you-my-eyes-only-remember-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hard to get hard to forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mctjc/hard-to-get-hard-to-forget/) Mctjc > [Truth is, everybody's going to hurt you, you just have to find the ones worth suffering for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/truth-is-everybody-s-going-to-hurt-you-you-just-have-to-find-the-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's so hard to forget someone that had gave you soo much to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-xx/it-s-so-hard-to-forget-someone-that-had-gave-you-soo-much-to-remember/) Sonia Xx > [“I've tried so hard to stop thinking about him. I've tried so hard to forget his face. I've tried so hard to get those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-ve-tried-so-hard-to-stop-thinking-about-him-i-ve-tried-so-hard-to/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [You're like the lyrics to my favorite song, hard to forget, and always on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-like-the-lyrics-to-my-favorite-song-hard-to-forget-and-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Memories can be hard to forget and painful to remember that those who hate us now once loved us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/memories-can-be-hard-to-forget-and-painful-to-remember-that-those-who/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [“Books are easily destroyed. But words will live as long as people can remember them. Tattoos, for example, are very hard to forget. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/books-are-easily-destroyed-but-words-will-live-as-long-as-people-can/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) Browse all 144 Hard to forget quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have tried so hard to forget, but memory is a stubborn thing. Memories linger no matter what I do. They're there all the time – and worse. Even my dreams aren't safe. I have vicious nightmares, and they're real – too real – and suddenly I'm back there. I can't will them away, I can't squeeze them away, and the more I try the more they burrow in my head. 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