--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a murderer with a sensational but…" description: "\"“Being a murderer with a sensational but incomplete and unorthodox memory, I cannot tell you, ladies and gentlemen, the exact day which I first knew wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b61/vladimir-nabokov-198_ladies-and-gentlemen_being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but_709704.jpg" --- # Being a murderer with a sensational but incomplete and… ![“Being a murderer with a sensational but incomplete and unorthodox memory, I cannot tell you, ladies and gentlemen, the exact day which I first knew with certainty that the red convertible was following us.” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b61/vladimir-nabokov-198_ladies-and-gentlemen_being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but_709704.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b61/vladimir-nabokov-198_ladies-and-gentlemen_being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but_709704.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b61/vladimir-nabokov-198_ladies-and-gentlemen_being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but_709704.jpg) > ““Being a murderer with a sensational but incomplete and unorthodox memory, I cannot tell you, ladies and gentlemen, the exact day which I first knew with certainty that the red convertible was following us.”” [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator admits a fragmented, sensational memory, questioning the reliability of his perception of events. **In simple terms:** Memory is unreliable and sensational. Key Takeaway Question narrative reliability. Themes memory perception truth unreliability Mood melancholic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal storytelling - legal testimony - historical research - creative writing Key Concepts psychology literary technique subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How does unreliable memory affect storytelling? - Can you trust your own recollections? A Different Perspective Sensational memories may distort facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ladies and gentlemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ladies-and-gentlemen/) [Murderer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murderer/) ## Related quotes > [“God wouldn’t have put two studly cowboys in a red convertible onto Highway 69 just when I’d needed them if it wasn’t meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-jones/god-wouldn-t-have-put-two-studly-cowboys-in-a-red-convertible-onto/) [Juliette Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-jones/) > [Dear middle-aged man in the red convertible Mitsubishi Eclipse, You're driving a girl car. Love, Olivia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-munn/dear-middle-aged-man-in-the-red-convertible-mitsubishi-eclipse-you-re/) [Olivia Munn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-munn/) > [“Thank you for helping my sister,” he says. I lean forward, mimicking his position. “I’m happy to.” Calliope leans out her window. “STOP FLIRTING…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/thank-you-for-helping-my-sister-he-says-i-lean-forward-mimicking-his/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“How funny would it be if we left a trail of Faerie dust in our wake?” “That would be hilarious.” I laughed. “It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesya-marae-cuono/how-funny-would-it-be-if-we-left-a-trail-of-faerie-dust-in-our-wake/) Cesya MaRae Cuono > [“He glances down and notices that I'm still wearing a certain blue something, and, this time, it's HIS index finger that wraps underneath MY…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/he-glances-down-and-notices-that-i-m-still-wearing-a-certain-blue/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“When I come back, the club is packed. There's hardly any standing room. Anna snagged a wooden bar stool, one of the few seats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/when-i-come-back-the-club-is-packed-there-s-hardly-any-standing-room/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“How did you know? That she wasn't the one for him?" Now he's staring at his hands, slowing rubbing them together. "They just didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/how-did-you-know-that-she-wasn-t-the-one-for-him-now-he-s-staring-at/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“lol christine lyf”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twelvie-gang/lol-christine-lyf/) twelvie gang > [“I want to kiss him for the rest of the night, for the rest of our lives. The one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/i-want-to-kiss-him-for-the-rest-of-the-night-for-the-rest-of-our/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, exhibit number one is what the seraphs, the misinformed, simple, noble-winged seraphs, envied. Look at this tangle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/ladies-and-gentlemen-of-the-jury-exhibit-number-one-is-what-the/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/lolita-light-of-my-life-fire-of-my-loins-my-sin-my-soul-lo-lee-ta-the-3/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [ “To modernize their sleeping habits, \[Peter the Great\] declared, 'Ladies and gentlemen of the court caught sleeping with their boots on will be instantly… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-modernize-their-sleeping-habits-peter-the-great-declared-ladies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I intend to make America strong again. I'm going to be the champion of the middle class, where I came from. If you make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/i-intend-to-make-america-strong-again-i-m-going-to-be-the-champion-of/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [A true gentleman never leaves his lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandro-del-piero/a-true-gentleman-never-leaves-his-lady/) [Alessandro Del Piero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandro-del-piero/) > [“Well … things are beginning to stack up a little,” said Gordo. It was the same old sod-hut drawl. He sounded like the airline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/well-things-are-beginning-to-stack-up-a-little-said-gordo-it-was-the/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) ## More by Vladimir Nabokov > [And the rest is rust and stardust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/and-the-rest-is-rust-and-stardust/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [There is no science without fancy and no art without fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/there-is-no-science-without-fancy-and-no-art-without-fact/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“My solemn exasperation was to her the silence of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/my-solemn-exasperation-was-to-her-the-silence-of-love/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [ “...under no circumstances would he \[Humbert Humbert\] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert-humbert-have-interfered-with/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Ami azt illeti, Vannak kezdtek nagyon tetszeni a fák is, a csodák is meg az Adák is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/ami-azt-illeti-vannak-kezdtek-nagyon-tetszeni-a-f-k-is-a-csod-k-is/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [We live not only in a world of thoughts, but also in a world of things. Words without experience are meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/we-live-not-only-in-a-world-of-thoughts-but-also-in-a-world-of-things/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“As palavras sem a experiência não teriam qualquer significado.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/as-palavras-sem-a-experi-ncia-n-o-teriam-qualquer-significado/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“It isn’t possible. I cannot imagine it. Come on over here, you foolish little doe, and tell me on what day I shall die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/it-isn-t-possible-i-cannot-imagine-it-come-on-over-here-you-foolish/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Precautions to be taken in the case Of freak reincarnation: what to do On suddenly discovering that you Are now a young and vulnerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/precautions-to-be-taken-in-the-case-of-freak-reincarnation-what-to-do/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [And this is the only immortality you and i may share, my Lolita.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/and-this-is-the-only-immortality-you-and-i-may-share-my-lolita/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Be true to your Dick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/be-true-to-your-dick/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“It is indeed a tricky name. It is often misspelt, because the eye tends to regard the "a" of the first syllable as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/it-is-indeed-a-tricky-name-it-is-often-misspelt-because-the-eye-tends/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“(T)here exist friendships which develop their own inner duration, their own eons of transparent time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/t-here-exist-friendships-which-develop-their-own-inner-duration-their/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“She was all rose and honey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/she-was-all-rose-and-honey/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) [Explore all 883 Vladimir Nabokov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) ## More Ladies and gentlemen quotes > [“Well … things are beginning to stack up a little,” said Gordo. It was the same old sod-hut drawl. He sounded like the airline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/well-things-are-beginning-to-stack-up-a-little-said-gordo-it-was-the/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [A true gentleman never leaves his lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandro-del-piero/a-true-gentleman-never-leaves-his-lady/) [Alessandro Del Piero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandro-del-piero/) > [I intend to make America strong again. I'm going to be the champion of the middle class, where I came from. If you make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/i-intend-to-make-america-strong-again-i-m-going-to-be-the-champion-of/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [ “To modernize their sleeping habits, \[Peter the Great\] declared, 'Ladies and gentlemen of the court caught sleeping with their boots on will be instantly… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-modernize-their-sleeping-habits-peter-the-great-declared-ladies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Newt Gingrich wants to repeal child labor laws. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the man that we need to lead us into the 18th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/newt-gingrich-wants-to-repeal-child-labor-laws-ladies-and-gentlemen/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“Ladies and gentlemen, let us hear the demand of life and adhere to it. It would do us good”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/ladies-and-gentlemen-let-us-hear-the-demand-of-life-and-adhere-to-it/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Smile, but not for long, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Patriarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly-kaplan/smile-but-not-for-long-ladies-and-gentlemen-of-the-patriarchy/) Nelly Kaplan > [“Ladies and gentlemen, I feel that this award was not made to me as a man, but to my work - a life's work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/ladies-and-gentlemen-i-feel-that-this-award-was-not-made-to-me-as-a/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! YOU'VE READ ABOUT IT IN THE NEWSPAPERS! NOW, SHUDDER AS YOU OBSERVE, BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES, THAT MOST RAREAND RAGIC OF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/ladies-and-gentlemen-you-ve-read-about-it-in-the-newspapers-now/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Femininity and masculinity are social constructs. Female and male are biological. We don't have to learn to be men or women but we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/femininity-and-masculinity-are-social-constructs-female-and-male-are/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… ME!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/ladies-and-gentlemen-me/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“On turning to the Work in Progress we find that the mirror is not so convex. Here is direct expression--pages and pages of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/on-turning-to-the-work-in-progress-we-find-that-the-mirror-is-not-so/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“Ladies and gentlemen, may I suggest you let fun out of your lives? For it is, brothers and sisters, a mongrel word, an ersatz…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/ladies-and-gentlemen-may-i-suggest-you-let-fun-out-of-your-lives-for/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Ladies and Gentlemen, I stand before you now because I never stopped dawdling like an eight-year-old on a spring morning on his way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/ladies-and-gentlemen-i-stand-before-you-now-because-i-never-stopped/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“So: ‘Why did you laugh?’ demanded Philippa, and shook Jerott’s hand off her arm. ‘Oh, that?’ said Lymond. ‘But, my dear child, the picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-dunnett/so-why-did-you-laugh-demanded-philippa-and-shook-jerott-s-hand-off/) [Dorothy Dunnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-dunnett/) [Browse all 253 Ladies and gentlemen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ladies-and-gentlemen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Being a murderer with a sensational but incomplete and unorthodox memory, I cannot tell you, ladies and gentlemen, the exact day which I first knew with certainty that the red convertible was following us.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vladimir Nabokov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but-incomplete-and-unorthodox/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ladies and gentlemen" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but-incomplete-and-unorthodox/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b61/vladimir-nabokov-198_ladies-and-gentlemen_being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but_709704.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b61/vladimir-nabokov-198_ladies-and-gentlemen_being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but_709704.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b61/vladimir-nabokov-198_ladies-and-gentlemen_being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but_709704.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being a murderer with a sensational but incomplete and unorthodox memory, I cannot tell you, ladies and…” — Vladimir Nabokov", "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": "Vladimir Nabokov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Being a murderer with a sensational...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but-incomplete-and-unorthodox/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/being-a-murderer-with-a-sensational-but-incomplete-and-unorthodox/#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 } } ] } ```