--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not the power to remember, but its very…" description: "\"Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition of our existence. If the lore of the transmigration of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/sholem-asch-28504_body_not-the-power-to-remember-but-its-very-o_1316057.jpg" --- # Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the… ![“Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition of our existence. If the lore of the transmigration of souls is a true one, then these, between their exchange of bodies, must pass through the sea of forgetfulness.” quote by Sholem Asch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/sholem-asch-28504_body_not-the-power-to-remember-but-its-very-o_1316057.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/sholem-asch-28504_body_not-the-power-to-remember-but-its-very-o_1316057.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/sholem-asch-28504_body_not-the-power-to-remember-but-its-very-o_1316057.jpg) > “Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition of our existence. If the lore of the transmigration of souls is a true one, then these, between their exchange of bodies, must pass through the sea of forgetfulness.” [Sholem Asch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholem-asch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. For human existence, forgetting is as essential as remembering; it allows continuity across lives. **In simple terms:** Forgetting lets us move on. Key Takeaway Embrace forgetting to live fully. Themes memory identity existence Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - grieving - learning newrelationships - spiritual practice Key Concepts transmigration psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does forgetting shape your identity? - When is forgetting beneficial? A Different Perspective Forgetting can erase valuable lessons. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forgetfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetfulness/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Power Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-remember-1041554/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-opposite-1156675/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Transmigration Souls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transmigration-souls-1552050/) [True ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-ones/) ## Related quotes > [Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-the-power-to-remember-but-its-very-opposite-the-power-to-forget/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “Can there be anything more stupendous than the \[Hindu\] conception that the universe has no beginning and no end, but passes everlastingly from growth… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/can-there-be-anything-more-stupendous-than-the-hindu-conception-that/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [If there is a transmigration of souls then I am not yet on the bottom rung. My life is a hesitation before birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/if-there-is-a-transmigration-of-souls-then-i-am-not-yet-on-the-bottom/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Hesitation before birth. If there is a transmigration of souls then I am not yet on the bottom rung. My life is a hesitation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/hesitation-before-birth-if-there-is-a-transmigration-of-souls-then-i/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [If you are going to misuse power then one must remember that power does not remain forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uddhav-thackeray/if-you-are-going-to-misuse-power-then-one-must-remember-that-power/) [Uddhav Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uddhav-thackeray/) > [Once you've built the big machinery of political power, remember you won't always be the one to run it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/once-you-ve-built-the-big-machinery-of-political-power-remember-you/) [P. J. 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Rather, there is one true self hidden by many other true ones”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/there-is-not-one-true-self-hidden-by-many-false-ones-rather-there-is/) [Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/) > [False beliefs can be every bit as consoling as true ones, right up until the moment of disillusionment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/false-beliefs-can-be-every-bit-as-consoling-as-true-ones-right-up/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [There's nothing in the world like buried treasure-and people hungry and obsessed enough to risk their lives for it. Pirate Hunters isn't just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/there-s-nothing-in-the-world-like-buried-treasure-and-people-hungry/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [In life, we never lose friends we only get to know who the true ones are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ace-kid/in-life-we-never-lose-friends-we-only-get-to-know-who-the-true-ones/) [Ace Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ace-kid/) ## More by Sholem Asch > [If my only tool is a hammer, then every problem is a nail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sholem-asch/if-my-only-tool-is-a-hammer-then-every-problem-is-a-nail/) [Sholem Asch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholem-asch/) > [Youth has the resilience to absorb disaster and weave it into the pattern of its life, no mater how anguishing the thorn that penetrates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sholem-asch/youth-has-the-resilience-to-absorb-disaster-and-weave-it-into-the/) [Sholem Asch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholem-asch/) > [Jesus Christ is to me the outstanding personality of all time, all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man. 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It cannot lift itself to heights from which the totality of being is visible, and it therefore loses itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sholem-asch/the-heathen-spirit-is-wingless-it-cannot-lift-itself-to-heights-from/) [Sholem Asch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholem-asch/) > [An illness is like a journey into a far country; it sifts all one's experience and removes it to a point so remote that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sholem-asch/an-illness-is-like-a-journey-into-a-far-country-it-sifts-all-one-s/) [Sholem Asch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholem-asch/) [Explore all 19 Sholem Asch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholem-asch/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. 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