---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Memory is knowledge; character is the box…"
description: "\"Memory is knowledge; character is the box of values and habits in which our knowledge knocks around. People with a lot of knowledge thrown together in ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/william-thorsell-82333_boxes_memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box_367335.jpg"
---

#  Memory is knowledge; character is the box of values and…

![“Memory is knowledge; character is the box of values and habits in which our knowledge knocks around. People with a lot of knowledge thrown together in a box that encourages social intercourse and experimentation tend to come up with good ideas, which are the engine of change. Think of Silicon…” quote by William Thorsell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/william-thorsell-82333_boxes_memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box_367335.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/william-thorsell-82333_boxes_memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box_367335.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/william-thorsell-82333_boxes_memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box_367335.jpg)

> “Memory is knowledge; character is the box of values and habits in which our knowledge knocks around. People with a lot of knowledge thrown together in a box that encourages social intercourse and experimentation tend to come up with good ideas, which are the engine of change. Think of Silicon Valley in California, or Oxbridge in the United Kingdom.”

William Thorsell

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Knowledge combined with character, shaped by habits, fuels collaborative environments that generate innovative ideas.

**In simple terms:** Knowledge plus values and habits create ideas.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate values and habits that nurture knowledge sharing.

Themes

knowledge character habits innovation collaboration

Mood

analytical inspirational

Type

expository thought‑provoking

When to use this quote

- workplace teams
- academic institutions
- startup incubators
- community projects

Key Concepts

social dynamics creative ecosystems institutional culture

Questions to Reflect On

- How do your habits influence your ideas?
- What environment best supports collaborative innovation?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex innovation processes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Experimentation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experimentation/) [Good ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ideas/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Intercourse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intercourse/) [Kingdoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdoms/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Silicon valley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silicon-valley/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [United kingdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-kingdom/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/)

## Related quotes

> [Insight is not a matter of memory, of knowledge and time, which are all thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/insight-is-not-a-matter-of-memory-of-knowledge-and-time-which-are-all/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [How is the mind which functions on knowledge how is the brain which is recording all the time to end, to see the importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/how-is-the-mind-which-functions-on-knowledge-how-is-the-brain-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [“Knowledge of a subject doesn’t necessarily mean you can do anything with it. That would require skill. Likewise, a student can commit something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-d-davis/knowledge-of-a-subject-doesn-t-necessarily-mean-you-can-do-anything/)

Ronald D. Davis

> [Rare almost as great poets, rarer, perhaps, than veritable saints and martyrs; are consummate men of business. A man, to be excellent in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/rare-almost-as-great-poets-rarer-perhaps-than-veritable-saints-and/)

[Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/)

> [A man with a lot of knowledge and no character is a dangerous man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-with-a-lot-of-knowledge-and-no-character-is-a-dangerous-man/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The essential thing is not knowledge, but character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-le-conte/the-essential-thing-is-not-knowledge-but-character/)

Joseph Le Conte

> [Obviously, any time you're closer in terms of what your knowledge is to a character, you can add something. But an actor's job is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-riegert/obviously-any-time-you-re-closer-in-terms-of-what-your-knowledge-is/)

[Peter Riegert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-riegert/)

> [An open-minded and diverse population that readily shares information, encourages experimentation, accepts failure and dispenses with formality and hierarchy is what makes Silicon Valley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/an-open-minded-and-diverse-population-that-readily-shares-information/)

[Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/)

> [The argument that won the Brexit campaign is the one that said take back control... which is another way of saying we want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-timmermans/the-argument-that-won-the-brexit-campaign-is-the-one-that-said-take/)

[Frans Timmermans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-timmermans/)

> [In war and in peace, in prosperity and times of economic hardship, America has no better friend or more dependable ally than the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-susman/in-war-and-in-peace-in-prosperity-and-times-of-economic-hardship/)

[Louis Susman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-susman/)

> [A child born today in the United Kingdom stands a ten times greater chance of being admitted to a mental hospital than to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing-3/a-child-born-today-in-the-united-kingdom-stands-a-ten-times-greater/)

R D Laing

> [“Coffee Cups Every two minutes, people in the United Kingdom go through 10,000 coffee cups. However, what most do not realize is that these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-neill/coffee-cups-every-two-minutes-people-in-the-united-kingdom-go-through/)

[Bill O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-neill/)

> [I believe that the United Kingdom can stay at the forefront in leading the world's growth and development and also continue to play an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-keqiang/i-believe-that-the-united-kingdom-can-stay-at-the-forefront-in/)

[Li Keqiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-keqiang/)

> [Unfortunately, terror is now linked to immigration, and anyone with dark skin or a beard or a Muslim name is suspect. Russia, France, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-chidambaram/unfortunately-terror-is-now-linked-to-immigration-and-anyone-with/)

[P. Chidambaram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-chidambaram/)

> [“The rich run a global system that allows them to accumulate capital and pay the lowest possible price for labour. The freedom that results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-moore/the-rich-run-a-global-system-that-allows-them-to-accumulate-capital/)

[Charles Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-moore/)

## More by William Thorsell

> [You become visibly stressed because you are working hard to pay for a standard of living so robust that it overwhelms your capacity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thorsell/you-become-visibly-stressed-because-you-are-working-hard-to-pay-for-a/)

William Thorsell

> [Museums should be places where you raise questions, not just show stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thorsell/museums-should-be-places-where-you-raise-questions-not-just-show-stuff/)

William Thorsell

Explore all 3 William Thorsell quotes

## More Boxes quotes

> [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/)

[Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/)

> [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/)

> [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/)

[Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/)

> [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/)

[David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. His contribution as a goal threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-have-nothing-but-praise-for-the-boy-he-is-easily-the-best-player-in/)

[Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/)

> [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/)

[Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/)

> [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/)

[Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/)

> [I could party in a cardboard box with people who are funny and don't care. For me, it's really about who I surround myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha/i-could-party-in-a-cardboard-box-with-people-who-are-funny-and-don-t/)

[Kesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha/)

> [The minister's brain is often the "poor-box" of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-minister-s-brain-is-often-the-poor-box-of-the-church/)

[Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/)

> [A token of love comes in a box because love itself cannot be contained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binnie-kirshenbaum/a-token-of-love-comes-in-a-box-because-love-itself-cannot-be-contained/)

[Binnie Kirshenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binnie-kirshenbaum/)

> [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/)

[Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/)

Browse all 2,146 Boxes quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Memory is knowledge; character is the box of values and habits in which our knowledge knocks around. People with a lot of knowledge thrown together in a box that encourages social intercourse and experimentation tend to come up with good ideas, which are the engine of change. Think of Silicon Valley in California, or Oxbridge in the United Kingdom.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Thorsell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thorsell/memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box-of-values-and-habits-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Boxes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thorsell/memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box-of-values-and-habits-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/william-thorsell-82333_boxes_memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box_367335.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/william-thorsell-82333_boxes_memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box_367335.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/william-thorsell-82333_boxes_memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box_367335.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Memory is knowledge; character is the box of values and habits in which our knowledge knocks around. People…” — William Thorsell",
                "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": "William Thorsell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-thorsell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Memory is knowledge; character is the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thorsell/memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box-of-values-and-habits-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thorsell/memory-is-knowledge-character-is-the-box-of-values-and-habits-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```