--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every time a bit of information is…" description: "\"Every time a bit of information is erased, we know it doesn't disappear. It goes out into the environment. It may be horribly scrambled and confused, b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/leonard-susskind-13115_bit_every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erase_1670286.jpg" --- # Every time a bit of information is erased, we know it… ![“Every time a bit of information is erased, we know it doesn't disappear. It goes out into the environment. It may be horribly scrambled and confused, but it never really gets lost. It's just converted into a different form.” quote by Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/leonard-susskind-13115_bit_every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erase_1670286.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/leonard-susskind-13115_bit_every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erase_1670286.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/leonard-susskind-13115_bit_every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erase_1670286.jpg) > “Every time a bit of information is erased, we know it doesn't disappear. It goes out into the environment. It may be horribly scrambled and confused, but it never really gets lost. It's just converted into a different form.” [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Information is conserved; erased data reappears elsewhere in altered form, not truly lost. **In simple terms:** Erased data changes form but remains existing the environment. Key Takeaway Recognize that information persists in new shapes. Themes information theory entropy conservation physics Mood thoughtful analytical Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - digital security - memory storage - environmental monitoring - privacy concerns Key Concepts quantum mechanics thermodynamics data integrity Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect data deletion policies? - What ethical issues arise from persistent information? A Different Perspective Erased data may become unrecoverable or misinterpreted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bit/) [Bits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) [Confused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confused/) [Converted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/converted/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) [Doesn Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-disappear-851302/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Erased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erased/) [Erased Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erased-know-851301/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Every time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-time/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gets/) [Gets Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gets-lost-287948/) [Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes/) [Horribly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horribly/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Erased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-erased-851300/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Scrambled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrambled/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Friendship doesn't disappear like love does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moyoco-anno/friendship-doesn-t-disappear-like-love-does/) [Moyoco Anno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moyoco-anno/) > [Oppression doesn't disappear just because you decided not to teach us that chapter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/oppression-doesn-t-disappear-just-because-you-decided-not-to-teach-us/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [Sex doesn't disappear, it just changes forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/sex-doesn-t-disappear-it-just-changes-forms/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [The world doesn't disappear when you close your eyes, does it? -memento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/movie/the-world-doesn-t-disappear-when-you-close-your-eyes-does-it-memento/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/movie/) > [The Grim Reaper doesn't disappear... he catches up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-carman/the-grim-reaper-doesn-t-disappear-he-catches-up/) [Patrick Carman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-carman/) > [Power doesn't disappear even when you're old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/power-doesn-t-disappear-even-when-you-re-old/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“All roads lead to Rome, but many people still think there's only one way to get there, their own way, and whoever doesn't follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mouloud-benzadi/all-roads-lead-to-rome-but-many-people-still-think-there-s-only-one/) [Mouloud Benzadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mouloud-benzadi/) > [Poetry is what gets lost in translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/poetry-is-what-gets-lost-in-translation/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Something gets lost when you translate. It's hard to keep straight. Perspective is every thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-mann/something-gets-lost-when-you-translate-it-s-hard-to-keep-straight/) [Aimee Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-mann/) > [“And I saw and still see everything that I do have, but no matter what, there is always the itch of what gets lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-slater/and-i-saw-and-still-see-everything-that-i-do-have-but-no-matter-what/) [Lauren Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-slater/) > [It always seems just as soon as things are going good...just as soon as life takes a turn for the best...everything goes wrong...gets lost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-always-seems-just-as-soon-as-things-are-going-good-just-as-soon-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate when someone gets lost in my eyes & they forget what they're telling me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/i-hate-when-someone-gets-lost-in-my-eyes-they-forget-what-they-re/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [“...not everything in your heart makes it to your mouth. A lot of it gets lost on the way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lodato/not-everything-in-your-heart-makes-it-to-your-mouth-a-lot-of-it-gets/) [Victor Lodato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lodato/) > [Brian Posehn went up at 4:45 in the morning. And he gets lost at a certain point. I don't know if we kept him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-porter/brian-posehn-went-up-at-4-45-in-the-morning-and-he-gets-lost-at-a/) [B. J. Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-porter/) > [“Sometimes in life the path gets narrow even as the road get wide and one still gets lost RjS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/sometimes-in-life-the-path-gets-narrow-even-as-the-road-get-wide-and/) [rassool jibraeel snyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/) ## More by Leonard Susskind > [“Dick Feynman was a genius of visualization (he was also no slouch with equations): he made a mental picture of anything he was working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/dick-feynman-was-a-genius-of-visualization-he-was-also-no-slouch-with/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [ \[Richard Feynman\] truly believed that if you couldn't explain something simply, you didn't understand it. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/richard-feynman-truly-believed-that-if-you-couldn-t-explain-something/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [The word 'universe' is obviously not intended to have a plural, but science has evolved in such a way that we need a plural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/the-word-universe-is-obviously-not-intended-to-have-a-plural-but/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [Science to me is sufficiently weird and interesting, and stranger than fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/science-to-me-is-sufficiently-weird-and-interesting-and-stranger-than/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [I have always enjoyed explaining physics. In fact it's more than just enjoyment: I need to explain physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/i-have-always-enjoyed-explaining-physics-in-fact-it-s-more-than-just/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [“The great tragedy of science—the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.” — THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/the-great-tragedy-of-science-the-slaying-of-a-beautiful-hypothesis-by/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [Space can vibrate, space can fluctuate, space can be quantum mechanical, but what the devil is it? And, you know, everybody has their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/space-can-vibrate-space-can-fluctuate-space-can-be-quantum-mechanical/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [I did not come from an academic background. My father was a smart man, but he had a fifth-grade education. He and all his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/i-did-not-come-from-an-academic-background-my-father-was-a-smart-man/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [I went to college because my father thought that I should learn engineering, because he wanted to go into the heating business with me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/i-went-to-college-because-my-father-thought-that-i-should-learn/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [The dark energy is not exactly zero, but the first 122 decimal points are zero. That's crazy. That is really one of the craziest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/the-dark-energy-is-not-exactly-zero-but-the-first-122-decimal-points/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [Eventually, when the universe expands enough, all that will be left is the dark energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/eventually-when-the-universe-expands-enough-all-that-will-be-left-is/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [I was from a poor Jewish family in the South Bronx. My father was a plumber, but when I was 16, he got sick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/i-was-from-a-poor-jewish-family-in-the-south-bronx-my-father-was-a/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [“Perhaps he can avoid being stretched by falling in a horizontal position, legs and head at the same altitude. Yet when the giant tries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/perhaps-he-can-avoid-being-stretched-by-falling-in-a-horizontal/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [“Let’s return to the question of the ocean tides. The cause of the twice-daily rising and falling of the seas is exactly the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/let-s-return-to-the-question-of-the-ocean-tides-the-cause-of-the/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [Einstein, in the special theory of relativity, proved that different observers, in different states of motion, see different realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/einstein-in-the-special-theory-of-relativity-proved-that-different/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) [Explore all 51 Leonard Susskind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) ## More Bit quotes > [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/) [John Whiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whiting/) > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [I like to think I'm a bit smarter than I sometimes let on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whitehall/i-like-to-think-i-m-a-bit-smarter-than-i-sometimes-let-on/) [Jack Whitehall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whitehall/) > [Oh, I'm a great believer in the power of the pause. Radio is a bit brasher now. My style was slower. I just used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/oh-i-m-a-great-believer-in-the-power-of-the-pause-radio-is-a-bit/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [You have a little bit of talent, a certain amount of good fortune and a lot of hard work in pursuit of whatever truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/you-have-a-little-bit-of-talent-a-certain-amount-of-good-fortune-and/) [Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/) > [I was a bit overweight as a teenager, which may be why I'm more comfortable playing with clothes than showing my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orla-brady/i-was-a-bit-overweight-as-a-teenager-which-may-be-why-i-m-more/) [Orla Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orla-brady/) > [I love Christopher Bailey and Burberry, Mulberry for bags, and Hudson for jeans. I like a little bit of designer with a bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-delevingne/i-love-christopher-bailey-and-burberry-mulberry-for-bags-and-hudson/) [Cara Delevingne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-delevingne/) > [I'm sure people see me as quiet and someone who keeps things to himself a little bit. I might be quiet, but there's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-donald/i-m-sure-people-see-me-as-quiet-and-someone-who-keeps-things-to/) [Luke Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-donald/) > [I was a serious competitive figure skater and still ice-skate as much as I can. Anyway, I once brought a date to the rink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-serratos/i-was-a-serious-competitive-figure-skater-and-still-ice-skate-as-much/) [Christian Serratos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-serratos/) > [There's a difference between watching a film and watching a bit of cinema and enjoying a film as a piece of cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-frost/there-s-a-difference-between-watching-a-film-and-watching-a-bit-of/) [Nick Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-frost/) > [It's a bit cliche, but you can't go wrong by writing what you know. Even if you're a horrible writer, your own knowledge and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/it-s-a-bit-cliche-but-you-can-t-go-wrong-by-writing-what-you-know/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/) [Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I like a scarf with a shirt; it throws it off a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moss/i-like-a-scarf-with-a-shirt-it-throws-it-off-a-bit/) [Kate Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moss/) > [Of course I get angry, but I want to use my brain a little bit and not just smash things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/of-course-i-get-angry-but-i-want-to-use-my-brain-a-little-bit-and-not/) [Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/) [Browse all 2,403 Bit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every time a bit of information is erased, we know it doesn't disappear. It goes out into the environment. It may be horribly scrambled and confused, but it never really gets lost. It's just converted into a different form.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonard Susskind" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erased-we-know-it-doesn-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erased-we-know-it-doesn-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/leonard-susskind-13115_bit_every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erase_1670286.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/leonard-susskind-13115_bit_every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erase_1670286.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/leonard-susskind-13115_bit_every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erase_1670286.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every time a bit of information is erased, we know it doesn't disappear. It goes out into the environment…” — Leonard Susskind", "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": "Leonard Susskind", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every time a bit of information...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erased-we-know-it-doesn-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/every-time-a-bit-of-information-is-erased-we-know-it-doesn-t/#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 } } ] } ```