--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Erika knew that eyewitness accounts were…" description: "\"“Erika knew that eyewitness accounts were notoriously unreliable because people thought they just pressed Rewind on the little recorder installed in th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/liane-moriarty-1135_memory_erika-knew-that-eyewitness-accounts-were_2840686.png" --- # Erika knew that eyewitness accounts were notoriously… ![“Erika knew that eyewitness accounts were notoriously unreliable because people thought they just pressed Rewind on the little recorder installed in their heads, when in fact they constructed their memories. They “developed their own narratives.” quote by Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/liane-moriarty-1135_memory_erika-knew-that-eyewitness-accounts-were_2840686.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/liane-moriarty-1135_memory_erika-knew-that-eyewitness-accounts-were_2840686.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/liane-moriarty-1135_memory_erika-knew-that-eyewitness-accounts-were_2840686.png) > ““Erika knew that eyewitness accounts were notoriously unreliable because people thought they just pressed Rewind on the little recorder installed in their heads, when in fact they constructed their memories. They “developed their own narratives.”” [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) ## 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 reconstructive; we edit past events into personal stories, not exact recordings. **In simple terms:** Our recollections are shaped narratives, not perfect recordings. Key Takeaway Question the accuracy of your memories. Themes memory perception truth storytelling Mood thoughtful critical Type psychological literary When to use this quote - court testimony - personal relationships - historical research - therapy Key Concepts cognitive psychology subjectivity narrative construction Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify a memory? - What role do narratives play in identity? A Different Perspective Memory can be unreliable, leading to false convictions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) ## Related quotes > [Open mind all the way. Because people have had eyewitness accounts, they've seen things, they swear they've seen things, and I tend to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-darby/open-mind-all-the-way-because-people-have-had-eyewitness-accounts/) [Rhys Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-darby/) > [There are plenty of eyewitness accounts, just because you're so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you-](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-plenty-of-eyewitness-accounts-just-because-you-re-so-narrow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are entering an age where people can claim to know more about what really happened than the people who were there. Where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/we-are-entering-an-age-where-people-can-claim-to-know-more-about-what/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [“It's because in this vast world of unreliable people, he is the one I know I can rely on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-kain/it-s-because-in-this-vast-world-of-unreliable-people-he-is-the-one-i/) Jamie Kain > [My son tells me, 'Do you realize you are the last one? The last person who was an eyewitness to the golden age?' Young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/my-son-tells-me-do-you-realize-you-are-the-last-one-the-last-person/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [Anyone with a smart phone is a potential eyewitness cameraman capturing and transmitting stories at speeds that turn Reuter photos and traditional reporting into,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-fierstein/anyone-with-a-smart-phone-is-a-potential-eyewitness-cameraman/) [Harvey Fierstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-fierstein/) > [I quote the late Ed Murow. ... He said: 'Look, people listen to me when they want an eyewitness account. 'They think I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-quote-the-late-ed-murow-he-said-look-people-listen-to-me-when-they/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [“He was Antinous, wild. You would have said, seeing the thoughtful reflection of his eye, that he had already, in some preceding existence, been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-was-antinous-wild-you-would-have-said-seeing-the-thoughtful/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [An eyewitness account is evidence that an artist has proposed a work of art. But documentary evidence (i.e. a photograph) is more conclusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-roth/an-eyewitness-account-is-evidence-that-an-artist-has-proposed-a-work/) Dieter Roth > [“Now, we see what we are shown. We have gotten used to being shown no matter what, within or beyond the limited range of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-duden/now-we-see-what-we-are-shown-we-have-gotten-used-to-being-shown-no/) Barbara Duden > [The traveler's boast, sometimes couched as a complaint, is that of having been an eyewitness, and invariably this experience - shocking though it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-traveler-s-boast-sometimes-couched-as-a-complaint-is-that-of/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [This generation, raised on "Eyewitness News," conditioned by the instant replay, and spared the illumination that comes from tedious historical study, tends to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/this-generation-raised-on-eyewitness-news-conditioned-by-the-instant/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [“But did you know that eyewitness testimony is often totally unreliable? The human memory only records events through the filter of its own frame…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-unger/but-did-you-know-that-eyewitness-testimony-is-often-totally/) [Lisa Unger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-unger/) > [“If there has to be an autopsy of the sordid past, let's blame the parents. Aren't they the primary suspects, anyway? As the eyewitness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldberry-long/if-there-has-to-be-an-autopsy-of-the-sordid-past-let-s-blame-the/) [Goldberry Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldberry-long/) > [Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-french/eyewitness-testimony-is-notoriously-unreliable/) [Chris French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-french/) ## More by Liane Moriarty > [“It was good to remember that for every horrible memory from her marriage, there was also a happy one. She wanted to see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/it-was-good-to-remember-that-for-every-horrible-memory-from-her/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“When you were young you talked about "falling in love" with such amusing gravity, as if it were an actual recordable event, when what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/when-you-were-young-you-talked-about-falling-in-love-with-such/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“Nathan kissed Madeline on the cheek and shook Ed's hand enthusiastically. He took an ostentatious relish in the civility of his dealings with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/nathan-kissed-madeline-on-the-cheek-and-shook-ed-s-hand/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“The cycles of dysfunction and mental illness did not have to carry over from generation to generation. You just had to educate yourself. Erika”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/the-cycles-of-dysfunction-and-mental-illness-did-not-have-to-carry/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [My real thinking and planning gets done when I'm doing something else like driving or walking or taking the shower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/my-real-thinking-and-planning-gets-done-when-i-m-doing-something-else/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“She wondered if it was similar to how people felt when they first took antidepressants and they lost their pain, but everything else felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/she-wondered-if-it-was-similar-to-how-people-felt-when-they-first/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [It's always the paragraphs I loved most, the ones I tenderly polished and re-read with pride, that my editor will suggest cutting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/it-s-always-the-paragraphs-i-loved-most-the-ones-i-tenderly-polished/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“Recently, she’d noticed something strange happening when she talked to people in groups. She couldn’t quite remember how to be. She’d find herself thinking:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/recently-she-d-noticed-something-strange-happening-when-she-talked-to/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“I won’t get involved in any school politics,” she’d said, and someone up there had overheard and hadn’t liked her attitude. Far too confident.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/i-won-t-get-involved-in-any-school-politics-she-d-said-and-someone-up/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [Early love is exciting and exhilarating. It's light and bubbly. Anyone can love like that. But after three children, after a separation and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/early-love-is-exciting-and-exhilarating-it-s-light-and-bubbly-anyone/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“Did you know that some people wish the Berlin Wall had never come down?” said Esther. “That’s weird, isn’t it? Why would you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/did-you-know-that-some-people-wish-the-berlin-wall-had-never-come/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“The weather wasn’t helping. It was far too lovely, mocking her pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/the-weather-wasn-t-helping-it-was-far-too-lovely-mocking-her-pain/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“Harper: Who said it was a feminist issue? What the heck? I’ll tell you what started it: the incident at the kindergarten orientation day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/harper-who-said-it-was-a-feminist-issue-what-the-heck-i-ll-tell-you/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“Why weren’t they just overcome with joy every time they looked at those kids? Why in the world were they divorcing?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/why-weren-t-they-just-overcome-with-joy-every-time-they-looked-at/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“(Why did she think tall people couldn’t be crazy? Because they looked like they ruled the world?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/why-did-she-think-tall-people-couldn-t-be-crazy-because-they-looked/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) [Explore all 281 Liane Moriarty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) ## More Memory quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [“Maybe there is something when it all ends. Maybe there is memory, memory of the person you loved, when you lived. Maybe this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-ellison/maybe-there-is-something-when-it-all-ends-maybe-there-is-memory/) [Kate Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-ellison/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [What’s the use of remembering anything? If it was unpleasant it was unpleasant and if it was pleasant it’s over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-dundy/what-s-the-use-of-remembering-anything-if-it-was-unpleasant-it-was/) [Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-dundy/) > [Always remember a little thing can change everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-remember-a-little-thing-can-change-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If God knows me I will never forget him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/if-god-knows-me-i-will-never-forget-him/) Trunxbeats [Browse all 12,248 Memory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Erika knew that eyewitness accounts were notoriously unreliable because people thought they just pressed Rewind on the little recorder installed in their heads, when in fact they constructed their memories. 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