--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is a memory? Not a storehouse, not a…" description: "\"What is a memory? Not a storehouse, not a trunk in the attic, but an instrument that constantly refines the past into a narrative, accessible and accep..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/stanley-kauffmann-72264_acceptable_what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a_3123471.png" --- # What is a memory? Not a storehouse, not a trunk in the… ![“What is a memory? Not a storehouse, not a trunk in the attic, but an instrument that constantly refines the past into a narrative, accessible and acceptable to oneself.” quote by Stanley Kauffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/stanley-kauffmann-72264_acceptable_what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a_3123471.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/stanley-kauffmann-72264_acceptable_what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a_3123471.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/stanley-kauffmann-72264_acceptable_what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a_3123471.png) > “What is a memory? Not a storehouse, not a trunk in the attic, but an instrument that constantly refines the past into a narrative, accessible and acceptable to oneself.” Stanley Kauffmann ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Memory is not a static archive but a tool that reshapes past events into a personal story. **In simple terms:** Memory reshapes the past into a story. Key Takeaway Use memory to understand and reinterpret experiences. Themes memory identity narrative Mood introspective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - therapy - learning from history Key Concepts cognitive reconstruction subjectivity storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What narratives do you construct from your past? - How can you verify the accuracy of your memories? A Different Perspective Memories can be unreliable or biased. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [ “one might call this state \["youth" (but that seems inaccurate)\] "remembering" but memory is quite eerie like caging a dream, and when I recite… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-david-katzman/one-might-call-this-state-youth-but-that-seems-inaccurate-remembering/) [David David Katzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-david-katzman/) > [It's probably why I'm a short story writer. I tend to remember things in the past in narrative form, in story form, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/it-s-probably-why-i-m-a-short-story-writer-i-tend-to-remember-things/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-a-product-of-long-corridors-empty-sunlit-rooms-upstairs-indoor/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am imprinted with the whole sense of European history, especially German history, going back to World War I, which really destroyed all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisel-mueller/i-am-imprinted-with-the-whole-sense-of-european-history-especially/) [Lisel Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisel-mueller/) > [I was a daughterless mother. I had nowhere to put the things a mother places on her daughter. The nail polish I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-hood/i-was-a-daughterless-mother-i-had-nowhere-to-put-the-things-a-mother/) [Ann Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-hood/) > [“The attics of the mind hold onto their dusty secrets and free them at inappropriate moments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-croome/the-attics-of-the-mind-hold-onto-their-dusty-secrets-and-free-them-at/) [Judy Croome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-croome/) > [I find myself wanting to make music at the dining room table or in the bedroom - I'm kind of a mobile writer, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meshell-ndegeocello/i-find-myself-wanting-to-make-music-at-the-dining-room-table-or-in/) [Meshell Ndegeocello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meshell-ndegeocello/) > [I always kinda liked our attic ghost. When I was a kid, I used to go up there and read stories to it. Show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/i-always-kinda-liked-our-attic-ghost-when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to-go-up/) [Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/) > [In other countries, art and literature are left to a lot of shabby bums living in attics and feeding on booze and spaghetti, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/in-other-countries-art-and-literature-are-left-to-a-lot-of-shabby/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [There are children who will leave a game to go and be bored in a corner of the garret. How often have I wished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/there-are-children-who-will-leave-a-game-to-go-and-be-bored-in-a/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [When the cold comes to New England it arrives in sheets of sleet and ice. In December, the wind wraps itself around bare trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/when-the-cold-comes-to-new-england-it-arrives-in-sheets-of-sleet-and/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [Garages, barns and attics are always older than the buildings to which they are attached.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/garages-barns-and-attics-are-always-older-than-the-buildings-to-which/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Jabor finally appeared at the top of the stairs, sparks of flame radiating from his body and igniting the fabric of the house around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/jabor-finally-appeared-at-the-top-of-the-stairs-sparks-of-flame/) [Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/) > [American journalism's crazy old aunt in the attic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-thomas/american-journalism-s-crazy-old-aunt-in-the-attic/) [Helen Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-thomas/) ## More by Stanley Kauffmann > [The next great step of mankind is to step into the nature of his own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kauffmann/the-next-great-step-of-mankind-is-to-step-into-the-nature-of-his-own/) Stanley Kauffmann > [Meanwhile, however, what’s most bothersome about Pulp Fiction is its success. This is not to be mean-spirited about Tarantino himself; may he harvest all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kauffmann/meanwhile-however-what-s-most-bothersome-about-pulp-fiction-is-its/) Stanley Kauffmann > [ Religion and atheism will both survive it \[the musical Jesus Christ Superstar by Time Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kauffmann/religion-and-atheism-will-both-survive-it-the-musical-jesus-christ/) Stanley Kauffmann Explore all 4 Stanley Kauffmann quotes ## More Acceptable quotes > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/) Harold Covington > [The government has once again made the right socially acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elfriede-jelinek/the-government-has-once-again-made-the-right-socially-acceptable/) [Elfriede Jelinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elfriede-jelinek/) > [The study of Freemasonry is the study of man as a candidate for a blessed eternity. It furnishes examples of holy living, and displays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/the-study-of-freemasonry-is-the-study-of-man-as-a-candidate-for-a/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [If a man is pictured chopping off a woman's breast, it only gets an R rating; but if, God forbid, a man is pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-struthers/if-a-man-is-pictured-chopping-off-a-woman-s-breast-it-only-gets-an-r/) Sally Struthers > [We cannot guess the outcome of our actions... Which is why our actions must always be acceptable in themselves, and not as strategies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-heilbrun/we-cannot-guess-the-outcome-of-our-actions-which-is-why-our-actions/) [Carolyn Heilbrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-heilbrun/) > [In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent reelects, and I think that's the most important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elections-like-2008-just-are/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [It's horrible how money and fame can make you acceptable while, if you're not famous or rich, you're not acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-tonioli/it-s-horrible-how-money-and-fame-can-make-you-acceptable-while-if-you/) [Bruno Tonioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-tonioli/) > [I disagree with the prevailing point of view of some black leaders that special treatment for blacks is acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/i-disagree-with-the-prevailing-point-of-view-of-some-black-leaders/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [We get used to a certain kind of colour of form or format, and it's acceptable. And to puncture that is sticking your neck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-krasner/we-get-used-to-a-certain-kind-of-colour-of-form-or-format-and-it-s/) [Lee Krasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-krasner/) Browse all 750 Acceptable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is a memory? Not a storehouse, not a trunk in the attic, but an instrument that constantly refines the past into a narrative, accessible and acceptable to oneself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stanley Kauffmann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kauffmann/what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a-trunk-in-the-attic-but-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acceptable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kauffmann/what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a-trunk-in-the-attic-but-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/stanley-kauffmann-72264_acceptable_what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a_3123471.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/stanley-kauffmann-72264_acceptable_what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a_3123471.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/stanley-kauffmann-72264_acceptable_what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a_3123471.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is a memory? Not a storehouse, not a trunk in the attic, but an instrument that constantly refines the…” — Stanley Kauffmann", "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": "Stanley Kauffmann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kauffmann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What is a memory? Not a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kauffmann/what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a-trunk-in-the-attic-but-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kauffmann/what-is-a-memory-not-a-storehouse-not-a-trunk-in-the-attic-but-an/#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 } } ] } ```