--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That’s what our minds do. They protect…" description: "\"“That’s what our minds do. They protect us. They bury those memories that would cripple us, so that we can live with ourselves.”\" — Robert Dugoni" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/robert-dugoni-14409_memories_that-s-what-our-minds-do-they-protect-us_682269.jpg" --- # That’s what our minds do. They protect us. They bury those… ![“That’s what our minds do. They protect us. They bury those memories that would cripple us, so that we can live with ourselves.” quote by Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/robert-dugoni-14409_memories_that-s-what-our-minds-do-they-protect-us_682269.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/robert-dugoni-14409_memories_that-s-what-our-minds-do-they-protect-us_682269.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/robert-dugoni-14409_memories_that-s-what-our-minds-do-they-protect-us_682269.jpg) > ““That’s what our minds do. They protect us. They bury those memories that would cripple us, so that we can live with ourselves.”” [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind shields us by suppressing painful memories, allowing us to function without being overwhelmed. **In simple terms:** Our brain hides harmful memories to keep us stable. Key Takeaway Recognize and gently explore suppressed memories. Themes psychology defense mechanisms memory self‑care Mood reflective calm Type advice psychological When to use this quote - therapy sessions - personal growth - trauma recovery - stress management Key Concepts repression coping mental health Questions to Reflect On - What memories might you be protecting yourself from? - How can you safely confront hidden pain? A Different Perspective Suppression can prevent necessary healing and insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bury Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bury-memories-2728790/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memories Cripple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories-cripple-5395611/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minds/) [Minds Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minds-protect-5395610/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [Why bury memories that are made out of gold?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-hayward/why-bury-memories-that-are-made-out-of-gold/) [Courtney Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-hayward/) > [“Forgotten hero was never the real hero, real hero can not be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/forgotten-hero-was-never-the-real-hero-real-hero-can-not-be-forgotten/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“I don't want to break my memories with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arzum-uzun/i-don-t-want-to-break-my-memories-with-you/) [Arzum Uzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arzum-uzun/) > [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [If memory survived eternally, then indeed there might be justification for a belief in hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-aumonier/if-memory-survived-eternally-then-indeed-there-might-be-justification/) [Stacy Aumonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-aumonier/) > [A good memory is one trained to forget the trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/a-good-memory-is-one-trained-to-forget-the-trivial/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [Children, Never look Back!" and this meant that we must never allow the future to be weighed down by memory . for children have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/children-never-look-back-and-this-meant-that-we-must-never-allow-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Robert Dugoni > [“You’ve climbed higher mountains than I ever had to climb, but you have one more mountain to climb, and you know it. The past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/you-ve-climbed-higher-mountains-than-i-ever-had-to-climb-but-you-have/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“A disorganized killer is much more impulsive and haphazard. Disorganized killers make mistakes, leave fingerprints, fail to keep from being seen. Organized killers consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/a-disorganized-killer-is-much-more-impulsive-and-haphazard/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“Kimi Kanasket was a black mark on an otherwise joyous occasion, like the drunk uncle who causes a scene at a family wedding. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/kimi-kanasket-was-a-black-mark-on-an-otherwise-joyous-occasion-like/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“Interrupting a man when he’s discussing his profession is like telling him what he has to say isn’t important. Besides, you never learn anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/interrupting-a-man-when-he-s-discussing-his-profession-is-like/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“Moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting the past. Moving forward means doing something about the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/moving-forward-doesn-t-mean-forgetting-the-past-moving-forward-means/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“building, all tinted glass and natural lighting, was nothing like the cement tomb where”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/building-all-tinted-glass-and-natural-lighting-was-nothing-like-the/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [Whether you're an unpublished novelist or a sixteen-time New York Times bestselling author, you can always improve your craft. You can always become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/whether-you-re-an-unpublished-novelist-or-a-sixteen-time-new-york/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“In time, though, you learn how to live with the pain. You learn how to live with all the memories, and you learn not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/in-time-though-you-learn-how-to-live-with-the-pain-you-learn-how-to/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [The walls were down, the only thing I could do was rebuild.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/the-walls-were-down-the-only-thing-i-could-do-was-rebuild/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“There’s a can of cat food and a spoon on the floor somewhere. Take it out back and bang on it. My cat’s still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/there-s-a-can-of-cat-food-and-a-spoon-on-the-floor-somewhere-take-it/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“You just need to show a little initiative and you could have my job someday.” Hooray! At least I’d have a window to throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/you-just-need-to-show-a-little-initiative-and-you-could-have-my-job/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“There’s a huge difference between love and need. Someone who needs you will put themselves first. Someone who loves you will put you first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/there-s-a-huge-difference-between-love-and-need-someone-who-needs-you/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“We try too hard to figure out why these guys kill when it’s really not possible to identify all of the factors that cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/we-try-too-hard-to-figure-out-why-these-guys-kill-when-it-s-really/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“It’s a terrible thing when a child is stripped of his perception that his parents are perfect. Kids want to believe their parents will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/it-s-a-terrible-thing-when-a-child-is-stripped-of-his-perception-that/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“She was not in control here, and she hated feeling powerless to alter the result.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/she-was-not-in-control-here-and-she-hated-feeling-powerless-to-alter/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) [Explore all 43 Robert Dugoni quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) ## More Memories 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/) > [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/) > [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 cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [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/) > [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/) > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chiarello/what-keeps-me-motivated-is-not-the-food-itself-but-all-the-bonds-and/) [Michael Chiarello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chiarello/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [In the name of Jerusalem. If I forget the extermination of the Jews, may my right hand wither, may my tongue stick to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/in-the-name-of-jerusalem-if-i-forget-the-extermination-of-the-jews/) [Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) > [Children, Never look Back!" and this meant that we must never allow the future to be weighed down by memory . for children have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/children-never-look-back-and-this-meant-that-we-must-never-allow-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) [Browse all 11,132 Memories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That’s what our minds do. 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