--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writers, like elephants, have long…" description: "\"Writers, like elephants, have long, vicious memories. There are things I wish I could forget.\" — William S. Burroughs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/william-s-burroughs-528_elephants_writers-like-elephants-have-long-vicious_2995066.png" --- # Writers, like elephants, have long, vicious memories… ![“Writers, like elephants, have long, vicious memories. There are things I wish I could forget.” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/william-s-burroughs-528_elephants_writers-like-elephants-have-long-vicious_2995066.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/william-s-burroughs-528_elephants_writers-like-elephants-have-long-vicious_2995066.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/william-s-burroughs-528_elephants_writers-like-elephants-have-long-vicious_2995066.png) > “Writers, like elephants, have long, vicious memories. There are things I wish I could forget.” [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers retain vivid, painful memories like elephants, making forgetting difficult. **In simple terms:** Writers have long, harsh memories they wish to erase. Key Takeaway Accept and channel painful memories. Themes memory writing trauma Mood melancholic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing - therapy - personal growth Key Concepts psychology creativity Questions to Reflect On - Which memory fuels your work? - Can you transform pain into creativity? A Different Perspective Memories can also inspire art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elephants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephants/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Like Elephants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-elephants-1054029/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memories Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories-things-631422/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Vicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vicious/) [Vicious Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vicious-memories-4727261/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Writers Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-like/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Women are like elephants to me. 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No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen would move up and down, you dig,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-the-man-who-taught-his-asshole-to-talk-his/) [William S. 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