We may lose our memory as we get older, but this might not be such a bad thing - who wants to drag a mental junkyard around at a time of life when you're starting to grow interesting little wings?
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
To my mind, it seems clear that those who have no memory have the much greater chance to lead happy lives. But it is something you cannot possibly escape: your psychological make-up is such that you are inclined to look back over your shoulder.
The function of memory is not only to preserve, but also to throw away. If you remembered everything from your entire life, you would be sick.
When you get old, it's hard to tell what's memory and what you've kind of created in your head as memory, you know?
You know, as you get older, the first thing you lose is memory. It seems to be happening with me.
One lives in the hope of becoming a memory.
A good memory is surely a compost heap that converts experience to wisdom, creativity, or dottiness; not that these things are of much earthly value, but at least they may keep you amused when the world is keeping you locked away or shutting you out.
Memory depends very much on the perspicuity, regularity, and order of our thoughts. Many complain of the want of memory, when the defect is in the judgment; and others, by grasping at all, retain nothing.
The moral backbone of literature is about that whole question of memory. To my mind it seems clear that those who have no memory have the much greater chance to lead happy lives.
As people get older and fall out of the spotlight, people's memory of them changes.
Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory.