--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I pick it up and turn to a random page…" description: "\"“I pick it up and turn to a random page and read a sentence — 'Nothing fixes a thing so firmly in the memory as the wish to forget it'.”\" — Matt Haig" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/matt-haig-1036_fixation_i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-a_2135743.jpg" --- # I pick it up and turn to a random page and read a sentence… ![“I pick it up and turn to a random page and read a sentence — 'Nothing fixes a thing so firmly in the memory as the wish to forget it'.” quote by Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/matt-haig-1036_fixation_i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-a_2135743.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/matt-haig-1036_fixation_i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-a_2135743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/matt-haig-1036_fixation_i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-a_2135743.jpg) > ““I pick it up and turn to a random page and read a sentence — 'Nothing fixes a thing so firmly in the memory as the wish to forget it'.”” [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Forgetting something can paradoxically cement it in memory. **In simple terms:** Trying to forget makes it stick. Key Takeaway Accept memories rather than suppress. Themes memory forgetting psychology Mood melancholic thoughtful Type literary psychological When to use this quote - therapy sessions - writing - personal reflection Key Concepts cognitive bias emotional processing Questions to Reflect On - Why do we try to erase painful memories? - How can acceptance change memory impact? A Different Perspective Suppressing memories may cause distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Firmly Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firmly-memory-4423088/) [Fixation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fixation/) [Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Memory Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-wish-634739/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Random](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/random/) [Random Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/random-page-4423089/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Wish Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish-forget/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/nothing-fixes-a-thing-so-intensely-in-the-memory-as-the-wish-to-3/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [“Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.” —Michel de Montaigne, February 28,1533–September 13, 1592”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/nothing-fixes-a-thing-so-intensely-in-the-memory-as-the-wish-to-2/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [Nothing fixes someone so intently in the memory as the wish to forget them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-fixes-someone-so-intently-in-the-memory-as-the-wish-to-forget/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it. —Michel de Montaigne John Ling. Fallen Angel (Kindle Locations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ling/nothing-fixes-a-thing-so-intensely-in-the-memory-as-the-wish-to/) [John Ling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ling/) > [“Nothing fixes a thing so intently in the memory as the wish to forget it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-patrick/nothing-fixes-a-thing-so-intently-in-the-memory-as-the-wish-to-forget/) [Cat Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-patrick/) > [“...here we have the first lesson about the nature of memory: what you wish to forget, you may not be able to. What seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-shpancer/here-we-have-the-first-lesson-about-the-nature-of-memory-what-you/) [Noam Shpancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-shpancer/) > [ “\[...\] the first lesson about the nature of memory: what you wish to forget, you may not be able to. What seems to have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-shpancer/the-first-lesson-about-the-nature-of-memory-what-you-wish-to-forget/) [Noam Shpancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-shpancer/) > [I wish I could forget you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-laura/i-wish-i-could-forget-you/) [Jasmine Laura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-laura/) > [“Knowledge may be power, but half of what I know I wish I could forget.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-bryant/knowledge-may-be-power-but-half-of-what-i-know-i-wish-i-could-forget/) [Carroll Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-bryant/) > [And I know you probably wish you never met me, and I just wish you never forget me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/and-i-know-you-probably-wish-you-never-met-me-and-i-just-wish-you/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [I wish I could forget you, I wish we never met, I wish I didn't feel the way I do, I wish I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-i-could-forget-you-i-wish-we-never-met-i-wish-i-didn-t-feel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish I could forget you. I wish you would just leave my mind but I guess there's a reason why you're still there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-i-could-forget-you-i-wish-you-would-just-leave-my-mind-but-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Really wish I could forget about you, makes moving on so much harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/really-wish-i-could-forget-about-you-makes-moving-on-so-much-harder/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God, give me the strength to say the things I wish I could forget; to learn from all my mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-give-me-the-strength-to-say-the-things-i-wish-i-could-forget-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish I can forget you forever,the more I tried to not think about you it makes me near to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-amy-gangte/i-wish-i-can-forget-you-forever-the-more-i-tried-to-not-think-about/) [Jane Amy Gangte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-amy-gangte/) ## More by Matt Haig > [“Maybe that is what growing up was all about. 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It felt refined and tantalising, all at once, like a polite collective pre-orgasm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-felt-civilised-and-modern-it-felt-refined-and-tantalising-all-at/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [If you can't give children optimism, then what are you doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/if-you-can-t-give-children-optimism-then-what-are-you-doing/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“He just wanted to live inside a moment of that life with her forever, to pluck it like a flower and press it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/he-just-wanted-to-live-inside-a-moment-of-that-life-with-her-forever/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [British culture is very cynical sometimes of overt displays of sentimentality, and I think that becomes almost a suspicion of emotion, or a suspicion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/british-culture-is-very-cynical-sometimes-of-overt-displays-of/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“That is one of the patterns: when nothing is happening, nothing continues to happen, but after a while the lull becomes too much and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/that-is-one-of-the-patterns-when-nothing-is-happening-nothing/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [The single biggest act of bravery or madness anyone can do is the act of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/the-single-biggest-act-of-bravery-or-madness-anyone-can-do-is-the-act/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [For me, as a writer, I desperately want to be read. I'm very conscious of readers as I'm writing. I think, 'If you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/for-me-as-a-writer-i-desperately-want-to-be-read-i-m-very-conscious/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“It’s not you. It’s them. (No, really. It is.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-s-not-you-it-s-them-no-really-it-is/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“We are all so weird that, really, none of us are. There are seven billion versions of strange on this freak wonder of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/we-are-all-so-weird-that-really-none-of-us-are-there-are-seven/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“Sa asculti muzica, mi-am dat eu seama, nu era altceva decat placerea de a numara fara sa iti dai seama ca numeri.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/sa-asculti-muzica-mi-am-dat-eu-seama-nu-era-altceva-decat-placerea-de/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“Beauty--be not caused," said Emily Dickinson. "It is." In one way she was wrong. The scattering of light over a long distance creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/beauty-be-not-caused-said-emily-dickinson-it-is-in-one-way-she-was/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [I'm a firm believer in the connection between the body and the mind: feed one, feed both. 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Otherwise, we're always doing something, we're always thinking something, we're always occupied.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/meditation-is-one-of-the-rare-occasions-when-we-re-not-doing-anything/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [Letting go of fixation is effectively a process of learning to be free, because every time we let go of something, we become free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/traleg-kyabgon-rinpoche/letting-go-of-fixation-is-effectively-a-process-of-learning-to-be/) [Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/traleg-kyabgon-rinpoche/) > [The living room is a monument to my impulsive spending habits. 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From all those wild and wacky things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/we-re-all-misfits-herefrom-our-weirdnesses-and-our-differences-from/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) [Browse all 70 Fixation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fixation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I pick it up and turn to a random page and read a sentence — 'Nothing fixes a thing so firmly in the memory as the wish to forget it'.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Haig" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-and-read-a-sentence-nothing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fixation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-and-read-a-sentence-nothing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/matt-haig-1036_fixation_i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-a_2135743.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/matt-haig-1036_fixation_i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-a_2135743.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47a/matt-haig-1036_fixation_i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-a_2135743.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I pick it up and turn to a random page and read a sentence — 'Nothing fixes a thing so firmly in the memory…” — Matt Haig", "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": "Matt Haig", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I pick it up and turn...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-and-read-a-sentence-nothing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/i-pick-it-up-and-turn-to-a-random-page-and-read-a-sentence-nothing/#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 } } ] } ```