2,914 Quotes About Memory

There were as many versions of the past as there were people—an unfortunate thing that made any objective study of history impossible.

Human time is not a compiling of moments, layer upon layer, like old newspapers there to be drawn from down in the pile. It is a fuse, burning up our moments as we live them.

If you want to be able to recall everything and anything in detail,then you need to be strong enough to feel all bad memories as well.

Never underestimate the magic of a memory. A life full of great memories is a rich one.

There is a tension that exists between history and memory, señor. Some of us are desperate to preserve and remember, while others are desperate to forget.

With history, with memory, with retellings, people often settled for the obvious answer.

When we forgive someone, we don’t pretend that the harm didn’t happen or cause us pain. We see it clearly for what it was, but we also come to see that fixating on the memory of harm generates anger and sadness.

He then said words that have shaped my career: if you are a historian then your job better be to help people remember not just what they want to remember, but what they need to remember.

As I conceptualized the National Museum of African American History and Culture, I knew it had to fulfill Mamie Mobley's charge: to be a place that carried the burden of history and the weight of memory, regardless of how painful or difficult it was. At the core of the museum, therefore, would be a commitment to remember.