--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nabokov complained he was afflicted with…" description: "\"“Nabokov complained he was afflicted with total recall, an affliction of which he could be miraculously cured by the presence of a biographer.”\" — Stac..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/stacy-schiff-7881_forgetfulness_nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with_211488.png" --- # Nabokov complained he was afflicted with total recall, an… ![“Nabokov complained he was afflicted with total recall, an affliction of which he could be miraculously cured by the presence of a biographer.” quote by Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/stacy-schiff-7881_forgetfulness_nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with_211488.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/stacy-schiff-7881_forgetfulness_nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with_211488.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/stacy-schiff-7881_forgetfulness_nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with_211488.png) > ““Nabokov complained he was afflicted with total recall, an affliction of which he could be miraculously cured by the presence of a biographer.”” [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nabokov claimed total memory, but a biographer could disrupt that by providing an external perspective. **In simple terms:** Total recall can be altered by another’s narrative. Key Takeaway Recognize how others’ viewpoints can change your self‑perception. Themes memory identity authorial control biography Mood analytical curious Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - writing memoirs - psychological research - personal storytelling - historical analysis Key Concepts subjectivity narrative framing self‑knowledge Questions to Reflect On - How does another’s story about you change your self‑view? - Can memory truly be “total”? A Different Perspective Biographers may impose their own bias, reshaping the subject’s image. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forgetfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetfulness/) [Total recall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/total-recall/) ## Related quotes > [“She did not believe Fate as painstaking as her husband; she was more inclined to take matters into her own hands. She had ample…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/she-did-not-believe-fate-as-painstaking-as-her-husband-she-was-more/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“Briefly (Vladimir Nabokov) caught the (Superman) fever too, composing a poem, now lost, on the the Man of Steel's wedding night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/briefly-vladimir-nabokov-caught-the-superman-fever-too-composing-a/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“He wrote Véra sheepishly: “Something has happened (only don’t be angry). I can’t remember (for God’s sake, don’t be angry!) I can’t remember (promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/he-wrote-v-ra-sheepishly-something-has-happened-only-don-t-be-angry-i/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [I count 'Underworld 4' as my training period for 'Total Recall.' I do think it was hard because I didn't realize how tired I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/i-count-underworld-4-as-my-training-period-for-total-recall-i-do/) [Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/) > [The only good Philip K. Dick film is 'Total Recall.' It's faithful to the book. Arnie gets it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-e-smith/the-only-good-philip-k-dick-film-is-total-recall-it-s-faithful-to-the/) [Mark E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-e-smith/) > [“Hickock whistled and rolled his eyes. "Wow!" he said, and then, summoning his talent for something very like total recall, he began an account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/hickock-whistled-and-rolled-his-eyes-wow-he-said-and-then-summoning/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [I think there were six or eight weeks between 'Total Recall' and 'Seven Psychopaths.' I was at home in Los Angeles for 'Seven Psychopaths,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/i-think-there-were-six-or-eight-weeks-between-total-recall-and-seven/) [Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/) > [I had made a list of about ten things that I remembered from the original 'Total Recall' before I went back and watched. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wiseman/i-had-made-a-list-of-about-ten-things-that-i-remembered-from-the/) [Len Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wiseman/) > [I was well aware of that when I heard they were remaking 'Total Recall.' 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I remember… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wiseman/the-three-breasted-woman-was-very-much-at-the-top-of-my-list-in/) [Len Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wiseman/) > [ On "\[Total\] Recall" also \[sets were extraordinary\], but this was next-level. They built two or three blocks of midtown Manhattan in 1926 and it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/on-total-recall-also-sets-were-extraordinary-but-this-was-next-level/) [Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/) > [There are people on the ratings board and so froth who don't want certain scenes in the film. There are people who come up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/there-are-people-on-the-ratings-board-and-so-froth-who-don-t-want/) [Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/) > [“The sad engineer would never go back to England; he would become one of these elderly expatriates who hide out in remote countries, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-sad-engineer-would-never-go-back-to-england-he-would-become-one/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) ## More by Stacy Schiff > [As always, an educated woman was a dangerous woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/as-always-an-educated-woman-was-a-dangerous-woman/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. 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I mean through history we've all molded her to our times and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/the-interesting-thing-about-cleopatra-is-that-she-is-such-a-shape/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [parenting is an exercise in unintended consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/parenting-is-an-exercise-in-unintended-consequences/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Strangely enough, politics may just be the one realm in which having kids imposes no penalty on women. Kids are practically a necessity. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/strangely-enough-politics-may-just-be-the-one-realm-in-which-having/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [I don't think there is ever objective biography. Our vision of our subject is always shaped by who we are. So I do, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/i-don-t-think-there-is-ever-objective-biography-our-vision-of-our/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) [Explore all 86 Stacy Schiff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) ## More Forgetfulness quotes > [Charm is a cunning self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/charm-is-a-cunning-self-forgetfulness/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [“Who was it said, ‘We forget because we must’? He was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/who-was-it-said-we-forget-because-we-must-he-was-right/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [There comes a time, in the history of Nations when fear and forgetfulness cause a nation to hesitate, to waver and perhaps even to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/there-comes-a-time-in-the-history-of-nations-when-fear-and/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [I worry sometimes that we're apt to confuse forgiveness with forgetfulness. The potency of forgiveness comes precisely from the fact that it must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-gale/i-worry-sometimes-that-we-re-apt-to-confuse-forgiveness-with/) [Patrick Gale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-gale/) > [What makes life worth living? Better surely, to yield to the stain of suicide blood in me and seek forgetfulness in the embrace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/what-makes-life-worth-living-better-surely-to-yield-to-the-stain-of/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [... for this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-this-discovery-of-yours-will-create-forgetfulness-in-the-learners/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [What is a man's life but a prelude to his death? And what is death but a long sleep, a most welcome forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-a-man-s-life-but-a-prelude-to-his-death-and-what-is-death-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Why did you leave? Am I not good enough? Where did you go? When did it happen? ..Who are you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ade-santi/why-did-you-leave-am-i-not-good-enough-where-did-you-go-when-did-it/) [Ade Santi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ade-santi/) > [“Forgetfulness is the beginning of happiness as fear is the beginning of wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetfulness-is-the-beginning-of-happiness-as-fear-is-the-beginning/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Being alone will show you who you really are, and if you cannot get-on positively as the sole master of your space in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/being-alone-will-show-you-who-you-really-are-and-if-you-cannot-get-on/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Humility is the forgetfulness of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/humility-is-the-forgetfulness-of-self/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness. 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That thou no more will weigh my eyelids down, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-sleep-o-gentle-sleep-nature-s-soft-nurse-how-have-i-frightened-thee/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 284 Forgetfulness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetfulness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nabokov complained he was afflicted with total recall, an affliction of which he could be miraculously cured by the presence of a biographer.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stacy Schiff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with-total-recall-an-affliction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forgetfulness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with-total-recall-an-affliction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/stacy-schiff-7881_forgetfulness_nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with_211488.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/stacy-schiff-7881_forgetfulness_nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with_211488.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/stacy-schiff-7881_forgetfulness_nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with_211488.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nabokov complained he was afflicted with total recall, an affliction of which he could be miraculously cured…” — Stacy Schiff", "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": "Stacy Schiff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Nabokov complained he was afflicted with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with-total-recall-an-affliction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with-total-recall-an-affliction/#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 } } ] } ```