---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes we talk about memory as though…"
description: "\"Sometimes we talk about memory as though it's firm and fixed, but of course, memory is highly fluid and subjective and thus highly subject to manipulat..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/laura-van-den-berg-4314_manipulation_sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though_1841166.jpg"
---

#  Sometimes we talk about memory as though it's firm and…

![“Sometimes we talk about memory as though it's firm and fixed, but of course, memory is highly fluid and subjective and thus highly subject to manipulation.” quote by Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/laura-van-den-berg-4314_manipulation_sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though_1841166.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/laura-van-den-berg-4314_manipulation_sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though_1841166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/laura-van-den-berg-4314_manipulation_sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though_1841166.jpg)

> “Sometimes we talk about memory as though it's firm and fixed, but of course, memory is highly fluid and subjective and thus highly subject to manipulation.”

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Memory is not a static record but a malleable, subjective reconstruction that can be altered.

**In simple terms:** Memory changes and can be shaped.

Key Takeaway

Recognize memory’s fluidity.

Themes

cognition subjectivity manipulation

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- legal testimony
- historical research
- therapy

Key Concepts

neuroscience psychology constructivism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does memory fluidity affect personal identity?
- What safeguards protect against memory manipulation?

A Different Perspective

Memory can be unreliable, leading to false beliefs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Manipulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulation/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/)

## Related quotes

> [I think memory is essential to what we are. If we - we wouldn't be able to talk to each other without memory. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-merwin/i-think-memory-is-essential-to-what-we-are-if-we-we-wouldn-t-be-able/)

[W. S. Merwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-merwin/)

> [It's killing me not to talk to you: Every memory, every word, every thought, every feeling...I can't handle missing you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuts-and-scars/it-s-killing-me-not-to-talk-to-you-every-memory-every-word-every/)

Cuts And Scars

> [Its killing me not to talk to you: Every memory, every word, every thought, every feeling. I cant handle missing you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nisha-kapoor/its-killing-me-not-to-talk-to-you-every-memory-every-word-every/)

[Nisha Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nisha-kapoor/)

> [What I like about the internet, what I see there is that its much more democratic. I have much more control, and if what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/what-i-like-about-the-internet-what-i-see-there-is-that-its-much-more/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

> [“Leaches Ten Tall by Stewart Stafford Don't play this game with me, Predatory whelk of tide pools, Taint me as Rigoletto to a bawd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/leaches-ten-tall-by-stewart-stafford-don-t-play-this-game-with-me/)

[Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/)

> [“But people like Henry never did. People like Henry always came back, because people like Henry knew how to use trust. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-people-like-henry-never-did-people-like-henry-always-came-back/)

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

> [I am particularly horrified by the use of propaganda and the manipulation of the truth and the revision of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-particularly-horrified-by-the-use-of-propaganda-and-the/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Con men look for human frailty to exploit. This is most often greed. Trump found a different vice: anger. The emotional are always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/con-men-look-for-human-frailty-to-exploit-this-is-most-often-greed/)

[Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/)

> [The casting couch exists in every business where there is power dynamics and manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tisca-chopra/the-casting-couch-exists-in-every-business-where-there-is-power/)

[Tisca Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tisca-chopra/)

> [“The fact that I can get away with something is the very reason why I shouldn’t do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-fact-that-i-can-get-away-with-something-is-the-very-reason-why-i/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [“Manipulating or controlling others through the use of one's illness or suffering,for example,was-and remains-extremely effective for people who find they cannot be direct in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/manipulating-or-controlling-others-through-the-use-of-one-s-illness/)

[Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/)

> [“The people who would like to manipulate and use you won't tell you your blind spots. They may plan to continue using them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assegid-habtewold/the-people-who-would-like-to-manipulate-and-use-you-won-t-tell-you/)

[Assegid Habtewold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assegid-habtewold/)

> [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/)

[Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/)

## More by Laura van den Berg

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I lived in Boston for three years, and during that time, I wrote my first collection of stories, 'What the World Will Look Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-lived-in-boston-for-three-years-and-during-that-time-i-wrote-my/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I take a pretty expansive view of craft, which is to say I don't see craft as just being technique - it's also process;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-take-a-pretty-expansive-view-of-craft-which-is-to-say-i-don-t-see/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [To me, in general, something that's really rich in terms of identity about transit spaces is that they're so intimate. Especially thinking about long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/to-me-in-general-something-that-s-really-rich-in-terms-of-identity/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [To a certain degree, I think both self-narrativizing and selective memory are essential survival skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/to-a-certain-degree-i-think-both-self-narrativizing-and-selective/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [There's the public self that we present to the outer world. There's the private self, which maybe takes more time to access. But ultimately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/there-s-the-public-self-that-we-present-to-the-outer-world-there-s/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I think my concern is I know my voice, and I know the kinds of landscapes that interest me, so my primary concern is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-think-my-concern-is-i-know-my-voice-and-i-know-the-kinds-of/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [My students are often asking me, 'What do you think are the most important qualities for a writer?' And one thing I always tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/my-students-are-often-asking-me-what-do-you-think-are-the-most/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [As a reader, I appreciate a world that feels unsettled and also visceral, inhabitable, so that's a quality I try and bring to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/as-a-reader-i-appreciate-a-world-that-feels-unsettled-and-also/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Youth is such a fascinating and volatile concoction of vulnerability, dependence, restlessness, relentlessness. You're still learning the terms of the world and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/youth-is-such-a-fascinating-and-volatile-concoction-of-vulnerability/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [As a genre, the best horror poses central human questions - Who can you trust? What is the cost of our secrets? What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/as-a-genre-the-best-horror-poses-central-human-questions-who-can-you/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Paradoxically, the only thing that helps when I'm feeling despairing about writing is to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/paradoxically-the-only-thing-that-helps-when-i-m-feeling-despairing/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [“Over time, we became less sure we were something the other wanted to hold on to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/over-time-we-became-less-sure-we-were-something-the-other-wanted-to/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Ever since I started writing in college, I have, save for a few short breaks here and there, been working away on something. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/ever-since-i-started-writing-in-college-i-have-save-for-a-few-short/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I wager we have a vast amount of literature out there that tends to the stories of men, so I've never really worried too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-wager-we-have-a-vast-amount-of-literature-out-there-that-tends-to/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

[Explore all 113 Laura van den Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

## More Manipulation quotes

> [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/)

[Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/)

> [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [“The people who would like to manipulate and use you won't tell you your blind spots. They may plan to continue using them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assegid-habtewold/the-people-who-would-like-to-manipulate-and-use-you-won-t-tell-you/)

[Assegid Habtewold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assegid-habtewold/)

> [“Manipulating or controlling others through the use of one's illness or suffering,for example,was-and remains-extremely effective for people who find they cannot be direct in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/manipulating-or-controlling-others-through-the-use-of-one-s-illness/)

[Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/)

> [“The fact that I can get away with something is the very reason why I shouldn’t do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-fact-that-i-can-get-away-with-something-is-the-very-reason-why-i/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [The casting couch exists in every business where there is power dynamics and manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tisca-chopra/the-casting-couch-exists-in-every-business-where-there-is-power/)

[Tisca Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tisca-chopra/)

> [Con men look for human frailty to exploit. This is most often greed. Trump found a different vice: anger. The emotional are always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/con-men-look-for-human-frailty-to-exploit-this-is-most-often-greed/)

[Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/)

> [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [I am particularly horrified by the use of propaganda and the manipulation of the truth and the revision of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-particularly-horrified-by-the-use-of-propaganda-and-the/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [“But people like Henry never did. People like Henry always came back, because people like Henry knew how to use trust. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-people-like-henry-never-did-people-like-henry-always-came-back/)

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

> [“Leaches Ten Tall by Stewart Stafford Don't play this game with me, Predatory whelk of tide pools, Taint me as Rigoletto to a bawd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/leaches-ten-tall-by-stewart-stafford-don-t-play-this-game-with-me/)

[Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/)

> [What I like about the internet, what I see there is that its much more democratic. I have much more control, and if what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/what-i-like-about-the-internet-what-i-see-there-is-that-its-much-more/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

> [“And the priests looked down into the pit of injustice and they turned their faces away and said, 'Our kingdom is not as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weiss/and-the-priests-looked-down-into-the-pit-of-injustice-and-they-turned/)

[Peter Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weiss/)

> [A politician's goal is always to manipulate public debate. I think there are some politicians with higher goals. But all of them get corrupted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-politician-s-goal-is-always-to-manipulate-public-debate-i-think/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“We humans always seem to take a manipulative posture. No matter what the particulars of the situation, or the subject matter, we prepare ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-redfield/we-humans-always-seem-to-take-a-manipulative-posture-no-matter-what/)

[James Redfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-redfield/)

[Browse all 641 Manipulation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulation/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Sometimes we talk about memory as though it's firm and fixed, but of course, memory is highly fluid and subjective and thus highly subject to manipulation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Laura van den Berg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though-it-s-firm-and-fixed-but-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Manipulation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though-it-s-firm-and-fixed-but-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/laura-van-den-berg-4314_manipulation_sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though_1841166.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/laura-van-den-berg-4314_manipulation_sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though_1841166.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/laura-van-den-berg-4314_manipulation_sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though_1841166.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sometimes we talk about memory as though it's firm and fixed, but of course, memory is highly fluid and…” — Laura van den Berg",
                "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": "Laura van den Berg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Sometimes we talk about memory as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though-it-s-firm-and-fixed-but-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/sometimes-we-talk-about-memory-as-though-it-s-firm-and-fixed-but-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
