--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Memoirs need confusion. It's the thing…" description: "\"Memoirs need confusion. It's the thing every human has in common. We are magnificently confused.\" — Joshua Mohr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/joshua-mohr-15953_common_memoirs-need-confusion-it-s-the-thing-ev_2360193.png" --- # Memoirs need confusion. It's the thing every human has in… ![“Memoirs need confusion. It's the thing every human has in common. We are magnificently confused.” quote by Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/joshua-mohr-15953_common_memoirs-need-confusion-it-s-the-thing-ev_2360193.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/joshua-mohr-15953_common_memoirs-need-confusion-it-s-the-thing-ev_2360193.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/joshua-mohr-15953_common_memoirs-need-confusion-it-s-the-thing-ev_2360193.png) > “Memoirs need confusion. It's the thing every human has in common. We are magnificently confused.” [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on universal human confusion and shared experience of being bewildered. **In simple terms:** Everyone is confused in a shared way. Key Takeaway Embrace confusion as a common human trait. Themes human nature confusion shared experience Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - philosophical discussion Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing shared confusion affect empathy? - Can confusion be a catalyst for growth? A Different Perspective Confusion can hinder clarity and decision‑making. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Memoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memoir/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/what-are-we-doing-here-that-is-the-question-and-we-are-blessed-in/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [I think writers of memoirs need to be respected for the bold decision they take to bare their lives open. That alone should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-hirata/i-think-writers-of-memoirs-need-to-be-respected-for-the-bold-decision/) [Andrea Hirata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-hirata/) > [I never wanted/expected to write a memoir, but this life thing, it has a way of sideswiping our worlds, scaring us so thoroughly that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-never-wanted-expected-to-write-a-memoir-but-this-life-thing-it-has/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [Confusion now hath made his masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/confusion-now-hath-made-his-masterpiece/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [What do you do when you don't know what to do anymore...When you heart say's stay but your head says let it go..when everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-do-you-do-when-you-don-t-know-what-to-do-anymore-when-you-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I seem to be torn between 'I wish we'd met earlier' and 'I wish we'd never met'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-mostafa/i-seem-to-be-torn-between-i-wish-we-d-met-earlier-and-i-wish-we-d/) [Ahmed Mostafa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-mostafa/) > [I do not want to presuppose anything as known. I see in my explanation in section 1 the definition of the concepts point, straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/i-do-not-want-to-presuppose-anything-as-known-i-see-in-my-explanation/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [There's nothing worse than people who are confused when deciding about something, so hopefully we can clear up any questions folks have. I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-burton/there-s-nothing-worse-than-people-who-are-confused-when-deciding/) [Steve Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-burton/) > [“Doubts are good. Confusion is excellent. Questions are awesome. All these are attempts to expand the wisdom of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manoj-arora/doubts-are-good-confusion-is-excellent-questions-are-awesome-all/) [Manoj Arora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manoj-arora/) > [Still I feigned confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-autumn/still-i-feigned-confusion/) [Emilie Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-autumn/) > [Clean undeniable right, clear undeniable might: either of these once ascertained puts an end to battle. All battle is a confused experiment to ascertain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/clean-undeniable-right-clear-undeniable-might-either-of-these-once/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [we can't be creative if we refuse to be confused. Change always starts with confusion; cherished interpretations must dissolve to make way for what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/we-can-t-be-creative-if-we-refuse-to-be-confused-change-always-starts/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-couldn-t-forgive-him-or-like-him-but-i-saw-that-what-he-had-done-2/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Rejection, Sadness, Loneliness, Forgotten, Drifting, Loveless, Emptiness, Ignored. Why can all these be linked to me inside 2 minutes? What is life? What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whatever/rejection-sadness-loneliness-forgotten-drifting-loveless-emptiness/) Whatever > [The small force that it takes to launch a boat into the stream should not be confused with the force of the stream that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-small-force-that-it-takes-to-launch-a-boat-into-the-stream-should/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by Joshua Mohr > [I like art that trusts its audience, that's written for readers who like to work hard. I like art that knows its readers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-like-art-that-trusts-its-audience-that-s-written-for-readers-who/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I'm a very tactile learner, so I need analog index cards, moving them all about, trying out various sequences for the book's architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-m-a-very-tactile-learner-so-i-need-analog-index-cards-moving-them/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [We have today and hopefully tomorrow to be the best version of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/we-have-today-and-hopefully-tomorrow-to-be-the-best-version-of/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [“I was convinced that she was about to tell me my card was declined, and assumed Derek wanting to talk later meant he'd soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-was-convinced-that-she-was-about-to-tell-me-my-card-was-declined/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [Yes, things happened to me - brutal things - but I'm not going to give them so much clout by dwelling on them, empowering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/yes-things-happened-to-me-brutal-things-but-i-m-not-going-to-give/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [It takes a lot of time to be a good junkie or alcoholic - you spend hours getting the necessary supplies, then imbibing, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/it-takes-a-lot-of-time-to-be-a-good-junkie-or-alcoholic-you-spend/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [My job as the novelist is to present the whole case, then the reader gets to render her verdict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/my-job-as-the-novelist-is-to-present-the-whole-case-then-the-reader/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I'm always working on something. Addiction never gets any credit, always talked about as a total liability, and I'll admit that most of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-m-always-working-on-something-addiction-never-gets-any-credit/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I'll never be the sort of author who sells that many copies. You'll never see a book of mine being sold on a table…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-ll-never-be-the-sort-of-author-who-sells-that-many-copies-you-ll/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I struggle with staying clean every day, and what really keeps me from doing something stupid is my daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-struggle-with-staying-clean-every-day-and-what-really-keeps-me-from/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [My musical sensibilities were formed around punk rock, that quintessential dilution of an art that's both ugly and lovely at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/my-musical-sensibilities-were-formed-around-punk-rock-that/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I never wanted/expected to write a memoir, but this life thing, it has a way of sideswiping our worlds, scaring us so thoroughly that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-never-wanted-expected-to-write-a-memoir-but-this-life-thing-it-has/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [Self-respect doesn't come naturally to me. I need to constantly remind myself and do the work to err on the side of self-respect, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/self-respect-doesn-t-come-naturally-to-me-i-need-to-constantly-remind/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [The question why, at least in my life, often leads to despair. Why did this happen to me? Why didn't someone who claimed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/the-question-why-at-least-in-my-life-often-leads-to-despair-why-did/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [My tunnel vision allows me to have a longer work day than most writers. I'm thankful for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/my-tunnel-vision-allows-me-to-have-a-longer-work-day-than-most/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) [Explore all 41 Joshua Mohr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) ## More Common quotes > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. 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