---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Memory, the priestess, kills the present…"
description: "\"Memory, the priestess, kills the present and offers its heart to the shrine of the dead past.\" — Rabindranath Tagore"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/rabindranath-tagore-383_heart_memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-a_2232739.png"
---

#  Memory, the priestess, kills the present and offers its…

![“Memory, the priestess, kills the present and offers its heart to the shrine of the dead past.” quote by Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/rabindranath-tagore-383_heart_memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-a_2232739.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/rabindranath-tagore-383_heart_memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-a_2232739.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/rabindranath-tagore-383_heart_memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-a_2232739.png)

> “Memory, the priestess, kills the present and offers its heart to the shrine of the dead past.”

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

## About This Quote

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

Memory captures the present, transforms it, and offers it to the past, showing how recollection reshapes experience.

**In simple terms:** Memory turns now into past.

Key Takeaway

Recognize memory’s power to reshape perception.

Themes

memory time identity transformation

Mood

melancholic contemplative

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing
- therapy
- historical analysis

Key Concepts

psychology of recollection temporal perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How does remembering shape your current choices?
- Can you let go of past narratives?

A Different Perspective

May cause nostalgia that hinders present action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dead Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-past-815028/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Memory Priestess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-priestess-5028587/) [Offers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offers/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Priestess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priestess/) [Priestess Kills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priestess-kills-5028588/) [Priestesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priestesses/) [Shrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrine/) [Shrines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrines/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [How will it ever be bearable, Priestess?” His voice was rough. He sounded completely broken. “You’ll see her again. She’s with Nyx now. She’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-will-it-ever-be-bearable-priestess-his-voice-was-rough-he-sounded/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Where am I and doing what? You might well ask. Freaky chick, you say? You can't imagine. I am priestess of a sandcastle in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/where-am-i-and-doing-what-you-might-well-ask-freaky-chick-you-say-you/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [Warrior, when you pledge yourself to the service of a High Priestess, the goal is not to frighten her to death but to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/warrior-when-you-pledge-yourself-to-the-service-of-a-high-priestess/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I should know, for I am Morgaine le Fay, priestess of the Isle of Avalon, where the ancient religion of the Mother Goddess is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/i-should-know-for-i-am-morgaine-le-fay-priestess-of-the-isle-of/)

[Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/)

> [The light of the sacred prostitute penetrates to the heart of this darkness. . . . she is the consecrated priestess, in the temple,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-woodman/the-light-of-the-sacred-prostitute-penetrates-to-the-heart-of-this/)

[Marion Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-woodman/)

> [A priestess of Avalon does not lie. But I am cast out of Avalon, and for this, and unless it is all to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/a-priestess-of-avalon-does-not-lie-but-i-am-cast-out-of-avalon-and/)

[Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/)

> [Honestly, I have had to live like a high priestess in this show. It is a very, very lonely life. When you work the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-miller/honestly-i-have-had-to-live-like-a-high-priestess-in-this-show-it-is/)

[Ann Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-miller/)

> [The priestess of Artemis took hold of her almost with the violence of a lover, and whisked her away into a languid ecstasy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-priestess-of-artemis-took-hold-of-her-almost-with-the-violence-of/)

[Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/)

> [In every loving woman there is a priestess of the past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/in-every-loving-woman-there-is-a-priestess-of-the-past/)

[Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/)

> [Giving birth is priestess work; it requires a woman to pass through a painful and dangerous initiation in which she journeys to the threshold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalaja-bonheim/giving-birth-is-priestess-work-it-requires-a-woman-to-pass-through-a/)

[Jalaja Bonheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalaja-bonheim/)

> [“Every woman is a priestess,” she said abruptly. “Every single one.” She turned to Marianne, her eyes clear as water. “The major religions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/every-woman-is-a-priestess-she-said-abruptly-every-single-one-she/)

[Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/)

> [My style for the moment is modern mystic priestess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisa-jimenez/my-style-for-the-moment-is-modern-mystic-priestess/)

[Elisa Jimenez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisa-jimenez/)

> [Your soul is the priestess of memory, selecting, sifting, and ultimately gathering your vanishing days toward presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/your-soul-is-the-priestess-of-memory-selecting-sifting-and-ultimately/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [I'm a priest, not a priestess. Priestess implies mumbo jumbo and all sorts of pagan goings-on. Those who oppose us would love to call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/i-m-a-priest-not-a-priestess-priestess-implies-mumbo-jumbo-and-all/)

[Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/)

> [I'm not saying I'm some high priestess. I do things, I'm sure, that are damaging, but it's certainly not on purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-m-not-saying-i-m-some-high-priestess-i-do-things-i-m-sure-that-are/)

[Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/)

## More by Rabindranath Tagore

> [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [The meaning of this is, that whomsoever we love, in him we find our own soul in the highest sense. The final truth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-meaning-of-this-is-that-whomsoever-we-love-in-him-we-find-our-own/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [If you shed tears when you miss the sun, you also miss the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/if-you-shed-tears-when-you-miss-the-sun-you-also-miss-the-stars/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God, first fill your own house with the fragrance of love. Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/go-not-to-the-temple-to-put-flowers-upon-the-feet-of-god-first-fill/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [The best kind of wealth is to give up inordinate desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-best-kind-of-wealth-is-to-give-up-inordinate-desires/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [Now it is time to sit quiet, face to face with thee, and to sing dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/now-it-is-time-to-sit-quiet-face-to-face-with-thee-and-to-sing/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [If it is necessary to die in order to live like men, what harm in dying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/if-it-is-necessary-to-die-in-order-to-live-like-men-what-harm-in-dying/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“Strong Mercy: My desires are many and my cry is pitiful, but ever didst thou save me by hard refusals; and this strong mercy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/strong-mercy-my-desires-are-many-and-my-cry-is-pitiful-but-ever-didst/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [The weak can be terrible because they try furiously to appear strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-weak-can-be-terrible-because-they-try-furiously-to-appear-strong/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [The movement of life has to rest in its own music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-movement-of-life-has-to-rest-in-its-own-music/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [It is the docile who achieve the most impossible things in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/it-is-the-docile-who-achieve-the-most-impossible-things-in-this-world/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“There, display and extravagance, in dress, in furniture, in costly entertainments, are startling. They seem to push you back into a corner, like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/there-display-and-extravagance-in-dress-in-furniture-in-costly/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

[Explore all 596 Rabindranath Tagore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

## More Heart quotes

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/)

[Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/)

[Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/)

> [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/)

[Rena Kornreich Gelissen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rena-kornreich-gelissen/)

> [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/)

[Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/)

> [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/)

[Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/)

> [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/)

[Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/)

> [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/)

[Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

[Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Memory, the priestess, kills the present and offers its heart to the shrine of the dead past.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rabindranath Tagore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-and-offers-its-heart-to-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Heart"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-and-offers-its-heart-to-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/rabindranath-tagore-383_heart_memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-a_2232739.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/rabindranath-tagore-383_heart_memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-a_2232739.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f04/rabindranath-tagore-383_heart_memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-a_2232739.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Memory, the priestess, kills the present and offers its heart to the shrine of the dead past.” — Rabindranath Tagore",
                "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": "Rabindranath Tagore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Memory, the priestess, kills the present...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-and-offers-its-heart-to-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/memory-the-priestess-kills-the-present-and-offers-its-heart-to-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
