--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Would you rather spend the rest of your…" description: "\"“Would you rather spend the rest of your life thinking about us, and remembering it as something totally perfect, or would it be better to let it get a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/jodi-picoult-45_life_would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your_1325663.jpg" --- # Would you rather spend the rest of your life thinking… ![“Would you rather spend the rest of your life thinking about us, and remembering it as something totally perfect, or would it be better to let it get all screwed up and have that as your memory?” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/jodi-picoult-45_life_would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your_1325663.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/jodi-picoult-45_life_would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your_1325663.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/jodi-picoult-45_life_would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your_1325663.jpg) > ““Would you rather spend the rest of your life thinking about us, and remembering it as something totally perfect, or would it be better to let it get all screwed up and have that as your memory?”” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing between idealizing a relationship and accepting its imperfections shapes how we remember it **In simple terms:** Idealizing vs. accepting flaws in love Key Takeaway Embrace imperfections for realistic memories Themes memory relationships idealization Mood thoughtful nostalgic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - romantic relationships - life reflections - memory keeping Key Concepts nostalgia acceptance imperfection Questions to Reflect On - Do you prefer a flawless memory or an authentic one? - How does idealizing affect healing? A Different Perspective Perfect memories are unattainable and may distort truth ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Remembering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering/) [Rest of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest-of-your-life/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Life demands more thinking than remembering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/life-demands-more-thinking-than-remembering/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I fall in love with you just thinking about you, remembering all the memories we've made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-fall-in-love-with-you-just-thinking-about-you-remembering-all-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“One had to be so careful...about remembering things. Thinking and remembering were something like walking along well-known paths and passageways that always used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-seredy/one-had-to-be-so-careful-about-remembering-things-thinking-and/) [Kate Seredy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-seredy/) > [“Oh, we women know things you don't know, you teachers, you readers and writers of books, we are the ones who wait around libraries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oats/oh-we-women-know-things-you-don-t-know-you-teachers-you-readers-and/) Joyce Carol Oats > [“And be thinking, remembering. Trying to. All difficult dark stuff, stories stuffed away, like old socks into old pillowcases. Not quite knowing the weight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-barry/and-be-thinking-remembering-trying-to-all-difficult-dark-stuff/) [Sebastian Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-barry/) > [I do not know what she was thinking, but I was remembering the years we have lived together, yet never together, and what a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-jennings/i-do-not-know-what-she-was-thinking-but-i-was-remembering-the-years/) [Gary Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-jennings/) > [Positive thinking is about remembering that our internal world creates and is more powerful than the external.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-p-blake/positive-thinking-is-about-remembering-that-our-internal-world/) J. P. Blake > [We get lost in doing, thinking, remembering, anticipating - lost in a maze of complexity and a world of problems. Nature can show us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/we-get-lost-in-doing-thinking-remembering-anticipating-lost-in-a-maze/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [I think more about clicking the teeth, because I have to line them up just exactly right, and then I slam them down so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-fulcher/i-think-more-about-clicking-the-teeth-because-i-have-to-line-them-up/) [Rich Fulcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-fulcher/) > [There are some things, I think, you're btter off not remembering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/there-are-some-things-i-think-you-re-btter-off-not-remembering/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [When you're pregnant, you can think of nothing but having your own body to yourself again; yet after giving birth you realize that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-you-re-pregnant-you-can-think-of-nothing-but-having-your-own/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [There are a hundred places where I fear To go, --so with his memory they brim! And entering with relief some quiet place Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/there-are-a-hundred-places-where-i-fear-to-go-so-with-his-memory-they/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [“A memory that costs you something," he said aloud, almost to himself. "One that hurts to remember. That makes you regret what you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daria-lavelle/a-memory-that-costs-you-something-he-said-aloud-almost-to-himself-one/) Daria Lavelle > [For those of us who try to keep remembering, Try to do our better than our best. Think of all the children in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zooey-deschanel/for-those-of-us-who-try-to-keep-remembering-try-to-do-our-better-than/) [Zooey Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zooey-deschanel/) > [What’s the use of remembering anything? If it was unpleasant it was unpleasant and if it was pleasant it’s over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-dundy/what-s-the-use-of-remembering-anything-if-it-was-unpleasant-it-was/) [Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-dundy/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Would you rather spend the rest of your life thinking about us, and remembering it as something totally perfect, or would it be better to let it get all screwed up and have that as your memory?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jodi Picoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your-life-thinking-about-us-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your-life-thinking-about-us-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/jodi-picoult-45_life_would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your_1325663.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/jodi-picoult-45_life_would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your_1325663.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/jodi-picoult-45_life_would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your_1325663.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Would you rather spend the rest of your life thinking about us, and remembering it as something totally…” — Jodi Picoult", "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": "Jodi Picoult", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Would you rather spend the rest...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your-life-thinking-about-us-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/would-you-rather-spend-the-rest-of-your-life-thinking-about-us-and/#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 } } ] } ```