--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every one should keep a mental wastepaper…" description: "\"“Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more things he will consign to it - torn up to irrecoverable tatters.”\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/samuel-butler-823_quote_every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepape_1690354.jpg" --- # Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the… ![“Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more things he will consign to it - torn up to irrecoverable tatters.” quote by Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/samuel-butler-823_quote_every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepape_1690354.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/samuel-butler-823_quote_every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepape_1690354.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/samuel-butler-823_quote_every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepape_1690354.jpg) > ““Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more things he will consign to it - torn up to irrecoverable tatters.”” [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One should discard outdated thoughts as they age, keeping a mental trash bin for useless ideas. **In simple terms:** Discard old ideas as you age. Key Takeaway Regularly clear mental clutter. Themes growth memory self‑improvement Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type advice reflective When to use this quote - decision making - learning - creative work Key Concepts cognitive psychology philosophy habits Questions to Reflect On - What mental clutter do you keep? - How often do you review your thoughts? A Different Perspective Some discarded ideas may still hold value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basket Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basket-older-1049517/) [Consign Torn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consign-torn-1049518/) [Mental Wastepaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-wastepaper-1049516/) [Things Consign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-consign-1049519/) [Wastepaper Basket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wastepaper-basket-786691/) ## Related quotes > [At the end of a miserable day, instead of grieving my virtual nothing, I can always look at my loaded wastepaper basket and tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/at-the-end-of-a-miserable-day-instead-of-grieving-my-virtual-nothing/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [One of the most important pieces of equipment, for the photographer who really wants to improve, is a great big wastepaper basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/one-of-the-most-important-pieces-of-equipment-for-the-photographer/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [good call. A second drag and your next stop's the wastepaper basket - and not to toss your kleenex, true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/good-call-a-second-drag-and-your-next-stop-s-the-wastepaper-basket/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [The quality of a man's mind can generally be judged by the size of his wastepaper basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-bergam-n/the-quality-of-a-man-s-mind-can-generally-be-judged-by-the-size-of/) [Jose Bergamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-bergam-n/) > [“The wastepaper basket is the writer’s best friend. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/the-wastepaper-basket-is-the-writer-s-best-friend/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) ## More by Samuel Butler > [Is life worth living? 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Whether it is or is not more efficacious I do not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/vaccination-is-the-medical-sacrament-corresponding-to-baptism-whether/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [“Having, then, once introduced an element of inconsistency into his system, he was far too consistent not to be inconsistent consistently, and he lapsed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/having-then-once-introduced-an-element-of-inconsistency-into-his/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [Brigands demand your money or your life; women require both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/brigands-demand-your-money-or-your-life-women-require-both/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [A man who lets himself be bored is even more contemptible than the bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/a-man-who-lets-himself-be-bored-is-even-more-contemptible-than-the/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [It is not sufficiently considered in the hour of exultation, that all human excellence is comparative; that no man performs much but in proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/it-is-not-sufficiently-considered-in-the-hour-of-exultation-that-all/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [“The oldest books are still only just out to those who have not read them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/the-oldest-books-are-still-only-just-out-to-those-who-have-not-read/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) [Explore all 355 Samuel Butler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) ## More Wastepaper Basket quotes > [At the end of a miserable day, instead of grieving my virtual nothing, I can always look at my loaded wastepaper basket and tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/at-the-end-of-a-miserable-day-instead-of-grieving-my-virtual-nothing/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [One of the most important pieces of equipment, for the photographer who really wants to improve, is a great big wastepaper basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/one-of-the-most-important-pieces-of-equipment-for-the-photographer/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [good call. A second drag and your next stop's the wastepaper basket - and not to toss your kleenex, true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/good-call-a-second-drag-and-your-next-stop-s-the-wastepaper-basket/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [The quality of a man's mind can generally be judged by the size of his wastepaper basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-bergam-n/the-quality-of-a-man-s-mind-can-generally-be-judged-by-the-size-of/) [Jose Bergamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-bergam-n/) > [“The wastepaper basket is the writer’s best friend. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/the-wastepaper-basket-is-the-writer-s-best-friend/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) [Browse all 6 Wastepaper Basket quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wastepaper-basket-786691/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more things he will consign to it - torn up to irrecoverable tatters.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Butler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepaper-basket-and-the-older-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Wastepaper Basket" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepaper-basket-and-the-older-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/samuel-butler-823_quote_every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepape_1690354.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/samuel-butler-823_quote_every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepape_1690354.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/samuel-butler-823_quote_every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepape_1690354.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more things he will consign to…” — Samuel Butler", "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": "Samuel Butler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Every one should keep a mental...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepaper-basket-and-the-older-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/every-one-should-keep-a-mental-wastepaper-basket-and-the-older-he/#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 } } ] } ```