--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is how we piece together our past…" description: "\"“This is how we piece together our past. We do it like a jigsaw puzzle, where there are missing pieces. But so long as we have enough of the pieces, we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/nathan-filer-18448_gaps_this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-w_3064135.jpg" --- # This is how we piece together our past. We do it like a… ![“This is how we piece together our past. We do it like a jigsaw puzzle, where there are missing pieces. But so long as we have enough of the pieces, we can know what belongs in the gaps.” quote by Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/nathan-filer-18448_gaps_this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-w_3064135.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/nathan-filer-18448_gaps_this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-w_3064135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/nathan-filer-18448_gaps_this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-w_3064135.jpg) > ““This is how we piece together our past. We do it like a jigsaw puzzle, where there are missing pieces. But so long as we have enough of the pieces, we can know what belongs in the gaps.”” [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding history involves assembling incomplete evidence, filling gaps with inference **In simple terms:** History is like a puzzle with missing pieces Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and use evidence to infer missing parts Themes history interpretation uncertainty Mood reflective curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - archaeology - genealogy - personal memory reconstruction Key Concepts Epistemology historical methodology Questions to Reflect On - What evidence do you rely on to fill gaps? - How do you avoid bias when reconstructing? A Different Perspective Missing pieces can lead to misinterpretation if assumptions are wrong ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gaps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaps/) [Jigsaw puzzle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jigsaw-puzzle/) [Like Jigsaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-jigsaw-794316/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Piece Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piece-past-1843101/) [Pieces Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces-know-2156531/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Ollie hadn’t been kidding. He really did like jigsaw puzzles. A countryside harvest festival was spread across the coffee table, and its repeating autumnal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/ollie-hadn-t-been-kidding-he-really-did-like-jigsaw-puzzles-a/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [Lifes like a jigsaw puzzle its hard to put together but in the end things turn out just right rather its the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athena-nichole-waldrep/lifes-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle-its-hard-to-put-together-but-in-the-end/) [Athena Nichole Waldrep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athena-nichole-waldrep/) > [Your love for me is like a jigsaw puzzle. It's an incomplete picture without YOU](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale/your-love-for-me-is-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle-it-s-an-incomplete-picture/) [Gale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale/) > [In a chemistry class there was a guy sitting in front of me doing what looked like a jigsaw puzzle or some really weird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/in-a-chemistry-class-there-was-a-guy-sitting-in-front-of-me-doing/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [We put our music together, piece by piece, like a jigsaw puzzle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-van-zant/we-put-our-music-together-piece-by-piece-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle/) [Ronnie Van Zant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-van-zant/) > [“A choice is like a jigsaw puzzle, darling troll. Your worries are the corner pieces, and your hopes are the edge pieces, and you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/a-choice-is-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle-darling-troll-your-worries-are-the/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“your lives are like a jigsaw puzzle; every piece fits together and has its place. You mightn’t like the cut of certain bits that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricia-voute/your-lives-are-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle-every-piece-fits-together-and-has/) [Tricia Voute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricia-voute/) > [To me acting is like a jigsaw puzzle. The jigsaw puzzle is of the sky and all the pieces are blue. Out of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-winkler/to-me-acting-is-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle-the-jigsaw-puzzle-is-of-the-sky/) [Henry Winkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-winkler/) > [No, absolutely not, writing doesn't have to be like a jigsaw puzzle, it can be a very linear undertaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/no-absolutely-not-writing-doesn-t-have-to-be-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle-it/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [life is like a jigsaw puzzle, you have to see the whole picture, then put it together piece by piece!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/life-is-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle-you-have-to-see-the-whole-picture-then/) [Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/) > [“Any piece of the past is clung to, when it is all you have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-derr/any-piece-of-the-past-is-clung-to-when-it-is-all-you-have/) [Megan Derr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-derr/) > [You make PEACE with your past by owning your PIECE of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/you-make-peace-with-your-past-by-owning-your-piece-of-the-past/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [That's just always the way my mind has worked, is taking something that seems impossible, or too big, and then breaking it down into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/that-s-just-always-the-way-my-mind-has-worked-is-taking-something/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [Very often, when you're listening to a piece for the first time, you're listening through a model of other pieces that you know. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lansky/very-often-when-you-re-listening-to-a-piece-for-the-first-time-you-re/) [Paul Lansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lansky/) > [I confess that I have not cleared a path through all seven hundred pages, I confess to having examined only bits and pieces, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-confess-that-i-have-not-cleared-a-path-through-all-seven-hundred/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## More by Nathan Filer > [“It doesn’t need to be perfect,’ she said at last. ‘It’s already wonderful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/it-doesn-t-need-to-be-perfect-she-said-at-last-it-s-already-wonderful/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“Words like guilt and shame and nightmares - the kind of nightmares that drag you from sleep, and leave you reaching for something no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/words-like-guilt-and-shame-and-nightmares-the-kind-of-nightmares-that/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“HELLO, my name is your potential. But you can call me impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/hello-my-name-is-your-potential-but-you-can-call-me-impossible/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“For those who are interested, the answer is yes, and not just one or two atoms, but probably many many many atoms that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/for-those-who-are-interested-the-answer-is-yes-and-not-just-one-or/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“This is more than every single grain of sand on every single beach. It is more than all the STARS in the entire UNIVERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/this-is-more-than-every-single-grain-of-sand-on-every-single-beach-it/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“Reading is a bit like hallucinating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/reading-is-a-bit-like-hallucinating/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“Try and remember that if you can. Hold onto it through everything else that happens in life, through all the things that might make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/try-and-remember-that-if-you-can-hold-onto-it-through-everything-else/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“Writing about the past is a way of reliving it, a way of seeing it unfold all over again. We place memories on pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/writing-about-the-past-is-a-way-of-reliving-it-a-way-of-seeing-it/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“Hello, my name is your potential. But you can call me impossible. I am the missed opportunities. I am the expectations you will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/hello-my-name-is-your-potential-but-you-can-call-me-impossible-i-am/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“She's known sadness. That's what it is. I only just thought that as I wrote it. She's known sadness, and it has made her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/she-s-known-sadness-that-s-what-it-is-i-only-just-thought-that-as-i/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“Her brother has a disease, an illness with the shape and sound of a snake. It slithers through the branches of our family tree.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/her-brother-has-a-disease-an-illness-with-the-shape-and-sound-of-a/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“But one thing I’ve learnt about people, is that they can always surprise you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/but-one-thing-i-ve-learnt-about-people-is-that-they-can-always/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“Mental illness turns people inwards. That's what I reckon. It keeps up forever trapped by the pain of our own minds, in the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/mental-illness-turns-people-inwards-that-s-what-i-reckon-it-keeps-up/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“Writing about the past is a way of reliving it, a way of seeing it unfold all over again. We place memories on pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/writing-about-the-past-is-a-way-of-reliving-it-a-way-of-seeing-it-2/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) > [“A good thing about talking to someone who is standing behind you is that you can pretend you don't know they're crying, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/a-good-thing-about-talking-to-someone-who-is-standing-behind-you-is/) [Nathan Filer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) [Explore all 33 Nathan Filer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/) ## More Gaps quotes > [“A word is not filling in the gaps, but the fertilization of silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/a-word-is-not-filling-in-the-gaps-but-the-fertilization-of-silence/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [No matter how strong the storm, how hard the rain and how vicious the wind there is always a gap in the clouds for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-greenhalgh/no-matter-how-strong-the-storm-how-hard-the-rain-and-how-vicious-the/) [Ben Greenhalgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-greenhalgh/) > [I honestly don't like Photoshop. I think when people Photoshop things, all of a sudden you're like, 'That's not even me anymore.' It takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-aldridge/i-honestly-don-t-like-photoshop-i-think-when-people-photoshop-things/) [Lily Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-aldridge/) > [It concerns me when people frame the conversation about equal pay about the entertainment business. I don't want the wage gap issue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/it-concerns-me-when-people-frame-the-conversation-about-equal-pay/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/to-be-creative-means-to-connect-it-s-to-abolish-the-gap-between-the/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing-has-much-to-do-with-affirming/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [You build the bonds through the community and police force, build bonds of understanding, and then when people feel comfortable in their communities, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/you-build-the-bonds-through-the-community-and-police-force-build/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [Whether you face reality head on and make a life change, or deny your responsibility, you've made a choice. The way I see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-phillips/whether-you-face-reality-head-on-and-make-a-life-change-or-deny-your/) [Shawn Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-phillips/) > [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [ Not one country in all the world has eliminated its economic participation \[gender\] gap - not one. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/not-one-country-in-all-the-world-has-eliminated-its-economic/) [Gayle Tzemach Lemmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/) > [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/) [Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/) > [..in that moment i realize how much i love the little everyday routines of my life..the details that are my life's special pattern, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/in-that-moment-i-realize-how-much-i-love-the-little-everyday-routines/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [If there's more that you can do, then do it. If there's not more that you can do, then be content with what you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/if-there-s-more-that-you-can-do-then-do-it-if-there-s-not-more-that/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [The idea that God resides in the unknown is what philosophers call the God of the gaps. And we have this thing called science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-idea-that-god-resides-in-the-unknown-is-what-philosophers-call/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) [Browse all 980 Gaps quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaps/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This is how we piece together our past. We do it like a jigsaw puzzle, where there are missing pieces. But so long as we have enough of the pieces, we can know what belongs in the gaps.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathan Filer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-we-do-it-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gaps" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-we-do-it-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/nathan-filer-18448_gaps_this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-w_3064135.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/nathan-filer-18448_gaps_this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-w_3064135.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/nathan-filer-18448_gaps_this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-w_3064135.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is how we piece together our past. We do it like a jigsaw puzzle, where there are missing pieces. But…” — Nathan Filer", "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": "Nathan Filer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-filer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This is how we piece together...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-we-do-it-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-filer/this-is-how-we-piece-together-our-past-we-do-it-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle/#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 } } ] } ```