--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He can’t remember, but he still knows…" description: "\"“He can’t remember, but he still knows exactly where to find it on his bookshelf, books are willing to wait, he says whenever visitors ask if he’s read..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/jenny-erpenbeck-24088_books_he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exa_565657.jpg" --- # He can’t remember, but he still knows exactly where to… ![“He can’t remember, but he still knows exactly where to find it on his bookshelf, books are willing to wait, he says whenever visitors ask if he’s read all the books on his shelves. . . .” quote by Jenny Erpenbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/jenny-erpenbeck-24088_books_he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exa_565657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/jenny-erpenbeck-24088_books_he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exa_565657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/jenny-erpenbeck-24088_books_he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exa_565657.jpg) > ““He can’t remember, but he still knows exactly where to find it on his bookshelf, books are willing to wait, he says whenever visitors ask if he’s read all the books on his shelves. . . .”” [Jenny Erpenbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person may forget details yet retain an intuitive sense of where knowledge resides, trusting that books hold answers waiting to be discovered. **In simple terms:** Memory fades but intuition about books stays. Key Takeaway Trust your intuition about where to find information. Themes memory intuition books knowledge patience Mood reflective thoughtful nostalgic Type literary philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - personal study - library browsing - academic work Key Concepts cognitive mapping literary metaphor trust Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance intuition with systematic searching? - When does intuition fail you? A Different Perspective Reliance on intuition can lead to missed details if not cross‑checked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Willing to wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing-to-wait/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Last words are always harder to remember when no one knows that someone's about to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/last-words-are-always-harder-to-remember-when-no-one-knows-that/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He says, “We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/he-says-we-are-visitors-on-this-planet-we-are-here-for-ninety-or-one/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“We are all misfits, poseurs, and clowns. We are heartbroken and lonely, failures in life, criminals and frauds. Most of our successes are pleasant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-borchert/we-are-all-misfits-poseurs-and-clowns-we-are-heartbroken-and-lonely/) [Don Borchert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-borchert/) > [Books everywhere. On the shelves and on the small space above the rows of books and all along the floor and under chairs, books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/books-everywhere-on-the-shelves-and-on-the-small-space-above-the-rows/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [I want my own books to have their own shelves," you said, and that's how I knew it would be okay to live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-want-my-own-books-to-have-their-own-shelves-you-said-and-that-s-how/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“ autonomy , n . "I want my books to have their own shelves", you said, and that's how I knew it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/autonomy-n-i-want-my-books-to-have-their-own-shelves-you-said-and/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Stretched out in front of me was my time as an adult, and then a skeleton, and then nothing except perhaps a few books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stretched-out-in-front-of-me-was-my-time-as-an-adult-and-then-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love the Web, but the basis of my work is going through the physical books. When you go to the library, you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-love-the-web-but-the-basis-of-my-work-is-going-through-the-physical/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Digital texts are all well and good, but books on shelves are a presence in your life. As such, they become a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/digital-texts-are-all-well-and-good-but-books-on-shelves-are-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [All the books on my shelves, when I would go to them to look for help with my anguish, they all just seemed so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-elverum/all-the-books-on-my-shelves-when-i-would-go-to-them-to-look-for-help/) [Phil Elverum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-elverum/) > [“A generation who is only good at putting books on shelves as decorations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muradous/a-generation-who-is-only-good-at-putting-books-on-shelves-as/) [Muradous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muradous/) > [I am a member of the London Library, and on almost every single job I do, there is some benefit to be had in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-stoppard/i-am-a-member-of-the-london-library-and-on-almost-every-single-job-i/) [Ed Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-stoppard/) > [I do like having books on my shelves. I do value that life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-baumbach/i-do-like-having-books-on-my-shelves-i-do-value-that-life/) [Noah Baumbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-baumbach/) > [There are books on our shelves we haven't read and doubtless never will, that each of us has probably put to one side in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-books-on-our-shelves-we-haven-t-read-and-doubtless-never/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“And Yet the Books And yet the books will be there on the shelves, separate beings, That appeared once, still wet As shining chestnuts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/and-yet-the-books-and-yet-the-books-will-be-there-on-the-shelves/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) ## More by Jenny Erpenbeck > [“This here is your inheritance, says the senior partner. 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It's all so small and mild, the landscape surrounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/home-when-it-rains-you-can-smell-the-leaves-in-the-forest-and-the/) [Jenny Erpenbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/) > [“Quante volte bisogna tornare a imparare, a scoprire e a riscoprire ciò che già si sa, quanti travestimenti bisogna strappar via per poter penetrare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/quante-volte-bisogna-tornare-a-imparare-a-scoprire-e-a-riscoprire-ci/) [Jenny Erpenbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/) > [Nothing is nicer than diving with your eyes open. 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Then in 1990 the Wall was cleared away piece by piece, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/the-wall-had-turned-their-street-into-a-cul-de-sac-where-children/) [Jenny Erpenbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/) > [Which means that in the end there are certain things you can take with you when you flee, things that have no weight, such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/which-means-that-in-the-end-there-are-certain-things-you-can-take/) [Jenny Erpenbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/) > [“...but with each step you take while fleeing, your baggage grows less and less, with more and more left behind, and sooner or later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/but-with-each-step-you-take-while-fleeing-your-baggage-grows-less-and/) [Jenny Erpenbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/) > [“... it would be lovely if he and his wife would succeed in dying before the matter of inherited property was finally settled. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/it-would-be-lovely-if-he-and-his-wife-would-succeed-in-dying-before/) [Jenny Erpenbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/) > [“To investigate how one makes the transition from a full, readily comprehensible existence to the life of a refugee, which is open in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/to-investigate-how-one-makes-the-transition-from-a-full-readily/) [Jenny Erpenbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/) [Explore all 14 Jenny Erpenbeck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He can’t remember, but he still knows exactly where to find it on his bookshelf, books are willing to wait, he says whenever visitors ask if he’s read all the books on his shelves. . . .”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jenny Erpenbeck" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exactly-where-to-find-it-on-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exactly-where-to-find-it-on-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/jenny-erpenbeck-24088_books_he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exa_565657.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/jenny-erpenbeck-24088_books_he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exa_565657.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/jenny-erpenbeck-24088_books_he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exa_565657.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He can’t remember, but he still knows exactly where to find it on his bookshelf, books are willing to wait…” — Jenny Erpenbeck", "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": "Jenny Erpenbeck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-erpenbeck/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He can’t remember, but he still...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exactly-where-to-find-it-on-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-erpenbeck/he-can-t-remember-but-he-still-knows-exactly-where-to-find-it-on-his/#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 } } ] } ```