--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things became duplicated in Tlön; they…" description: "\"“Things became duplicated in Tlön; they also tend to become effaced and lose their details when they are forgotten. A classic example is the doorway wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/jorge-luis-borges-275_duplicated-tl-n_things-became-duplicated-in-tl-n-they-al_2611097.jpg" --- # Things became duplicated in Tlön; they also tend to become… ![“Things became duplicated in Tlön; they also tend to become effaced and lose their details when they are forgotten. A classic example is the doorway which survived so long as it was visited by a beggar and disappeared at his death. At times some birds, a horse, have saved the ruins of an…” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/jorge-luis-borges-275_duplicated-tl-n_things-became-duplicated-in-tl-n-they-al_2611097.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/jorge-luis-borges-275_duplicated-tl-n_things-became-duplicated-in-tl-n-they-al_2611097.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/jorge-luis-borges-275_duplicated-tl-n_things-became-duplicated-in-tl-n-they-al_2611097.jpg) > ““Things became duplicated in Tlön; they also tend to become effaced and lose their details when they are forgotten. A classic example is the doorway which survived so long as it was visited by a beggar and disappeared at his death. At times some birds, a horse, have saved the ruins of an amphitheater.”” [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When reality is replicated in literature, details fade and objects lose meaning, showing how collective memory shapes existence. **In simple terms:** Replicated realities lose detail. Key Takeaway Preserve memory of important things. Themes memory reality fiction impermanence Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - archival work - historical research - creative writing - museum curation Key Concepts literature philosophy cognitivepsychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure important details are remembered? - What role does storytelling play in preserving culture? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on copies can erode authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Details Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details-forgotten-2029832/) [Doorway Survived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doorway-survived-2029831/) [Duplicated Tlön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duplicated-tl-n-2029829/) [Example Doorway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example-doorway-2029833/) [Things Duplicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-duplicated-2029830/) ## Related quotes > [“Things duplicate themselves in Tlön; they also tend to grow vague or ‘sketchy,’ and to lose detail when they begin to be forgotten. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/things-duplicate-themselves-in-tl-n-they-also-tend-to-grow-vague-or/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Any single historical event is too complex to be adequately known by anyone. It transcends all the intellectual capacities of men. Our practice is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-single-historical-event-is-too-complex-to-be-adequately-known-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Jorge Luis Borges > [“No hables a menos que puedas mejorar el silencio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/no-hables-a-menos-que-puedas-mejorar-el-silencio/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [How can we manage to illuminate the pathos of our lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/how-can-we-manage-to-illuminate-the-pathos-of-our-lives/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Loneliness does not worry me; life is difficult enough, putting up with yourself and with your own habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/loneliness-does-not-worry-me-life-is-difficult-enough-putting-up-with/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The fact is that all writers create their precursors. Their work modifies our conception of the past, just as it is bound to modify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-fact-is-that-all-writers-create-their-precursors-their-work/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I don't think we're capable of knowledge, but I like to keep an open mind. So if you ask me whether I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-don-t-think-we-re-capable-of-knowledge-but-i-like-to-keep-an-open/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The web of time - the strands of which approach one another, bifurcate, intersect, or ignore each other through the centuries - embraces "every"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-web-of-time-the-strands-of-which-approach-one-another-bifurcate/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“My memory, sir, is like a garbage disposal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/my-memory-sir-is-like-a-garbage-disposal/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [When I write, I do it urged by an intimate necessity. I don't have in mind an exclusive public, or a public of multitudes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/when-i-write-i-do-it-urged-by-an-intimate-necessity-i-don-t-have-in/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The mind was dreaming. The world was its dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-mind-was-dreaming-the-world-was-its-dream/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I foresee that man will resign himself each day to new abominations, and soon that only bandits and soldiers will be left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-foresee-that-man-will-resign-himself-each-day-to-new-abominations/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“If I could live again - I will travel light, If I could live again - I'll try to work bare feet at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/if-i-could-live-again-i-will-travel-light-if-i-could-live-again-i-ll/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Every man should be capable of all ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/every-man-should-be-capable-of-all-ideas/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Writing is only a guided dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/writing-is-only-a-guided-dream/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) [Explore all 558 Jorge Luis Borges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Things became duplicated in Tlön; they also tend to become effaced and lose their details when they are forgotten. 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