---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are our memory, we are that chimerical…"
description: "\"We are our memory, we are that chimerical museum of shifting shapes, that pile of broken mirrors.\" — Jorge Luis Borges"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/jorge-luis-borges-275_broken_we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical_1206958.jpg"
---

#  We are our memory, we are that chimerical museum of…

![“We are our memory, we are that chimerical museum of shifting shapes, that pile of broken mirrors.” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/jorge-luis-borges-275_broken_we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical_1206958.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/jorge-luis-borges-275_broken_we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical_1206958.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/jorge-luis-borges-275_broken_we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical_1206958.jpg)

> “We are our memory, we are that chimerical museum of shifting shapes, that pile of broken mirrors.”

[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.

Our identity is a shifting museum of fragmented reflections.

**In simple terms:** Identity is a mutable collection of memories.

Key Takeaway

Embrace change in self‑perception.

Themes

memory identity self

Mood

melancholic introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- creative writing
- therapy

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology literature

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you construct your narrative?
- What shapes your self‑image?

A Different Perspective

Memory can be unreliable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Broken mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-mirror/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/)

## Related quotes

> [Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/bad-luck-isn-t-brought-by-broken-mirrors-but-by-broken-minds/)

[Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/)

> [No broken mirrors, I can't see myself broke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/no-broken-mirrors-i-can-t-see-myself-broke/)

[Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/)

> [Broken vows are like broken mirrors. They leave those who held to them bleeding and staring at fractured images of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/broken-vows-are-like-broken-mirrors-they-leave-those-who-held-to-them/)

[Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/)

> [Broken mirrors can become one of the most beautiful mosaics on ceilings and walls. Broken to become beautiful! God can repair and restore our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/broken-mirrors-can-become-one-of-the-most-beautiful-mosaics-on/)

Pacifiersucker

> [“Broken vows are like broken mirrors. They leave those who held to them bleeding and staring at fractured images of themselves. (pg. 161)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/broken-vows-are-like-broken-mirrors-they-leave-those-who-held-to-them-2/)

[Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/)

> [“There was only one huge world with no back to it A world like a sun One day it broke into tiny pieces They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/there-was-only-one-huge-world-with-no-back-to-it-a-world-like-a-sun/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [A broken mirror a bleeding fist a silver blade against a wrist tears falling down to lips un-kissed, she's not the kind you'll come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-broken-mirror-a-bleeding-fist-a-silver-blade-against-a-wrist-tears/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Breakup is like a broken mirror, it's better to leave it broken, than hurt yourself trying to fix it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/breakup-is-like-a-broken-mirror-it-s-better-to-leave-it-broken-than/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Trust is like a broken mirror, you can put it back together, but you can still see all the cracks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-palmer/trust-is-like-a-broken-mirror-you-can-put-it-back-together-but-you/)

Kyle Palmer

> [A break up is like a broken mirror. It is better to leave it broken than to hurt yourself trying to put it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-break-up-is-like-a-broken-mirror-it-is-better-to-leave-it-broken/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A break up is like a broken mirror. It is better to leave it broken than hurt yourself trying to fix it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-break-up-is-like-a-broken-mirror-it-is-better-to-leave-it-broken-2/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A broken mirror in your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hawthorne-heights/a-broken-mirror-in-your-life/)

[Hawthorne Heights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hawthorne-heights/)

> [A locked door, a rusty razor, a towel stained with red. A folded note, a broken mirror, and a young girl lays there dead.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-locked-door-a-rusty-razor-a-towel-stained-with-red-a-folded-note-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A break-up is like a broken mirror, its better to leave it broken that hurt yourself trying to fix it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney/a-break-up-is-like-a-broken-mirror-its-better-to-leave-it-broken-that/)

[Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney/)

> [Even though I try to be a good girl, it's no use. I can see the shattering memories around me. They were never there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-though-i-try-to-be-a-good-girl-it-s-no-use-i-can-see-the/)

[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/)

## More Broken quotes

> [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/)

[Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/)

> [You don't want to fix things that aren't broken, so that kind of stops you from make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-weidman/you-don-t-want-to-fix-things-that-aren-t-broken-so-that-kind-of-stops/)

[Chris Weidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-weidman/)

> [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/)

[John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/)

> [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/)

[Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/)

[Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/)

> [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/)

[Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/)

> [Don't fix what's not broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/don-t-fix-what-s-not-broken/)

[Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/)

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [Rome, believe me, my friend, is like its own Monte Testaceo, Merelya marvellous mass of broken and castaway wine-pots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/rome-believe-me-my-friend-is-like-its-own-monte-testaceo-merelya/)

[Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/)

> [Its funny how someone breaks your heart but you still love them with all those broken pieces..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-someone-breaks-your-heart-but-you-still-love-them-with/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/)

[Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/)

Browse all 5,851 Broken quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We are our memory, we are that chimerical museum of shifting shapes, that pile of broken mirrors.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jorge Luis Borges"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical-museum-of-shifting-shapes/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Broken"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical-museum-of-shifting-shapes/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/jorge-luis-borges-275_broken_we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical_1206958.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/jorge-luis-borges-275_broken_we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical_1206958.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/jorge-luis-borges-275_broken_we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical_1206958.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are our memory, we are that chimerical museum of shifting shapes, that pile of broken mirrors.” — Jorge Luis Borges",
                "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": "Jorge Luis Borges",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are our memory, we are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical-museum-of-shifting-shapes/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/we-are-our-memory-we-are-that-chimerical-museum-of-shifting-shapes/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
