Memory
“Memory
is a complicated thing, a relative to truth but not its twin.”
-Barbara
Kingsolver
Memorial Day is nearly upon us. Though it’s not quite the intent of the holiday,
here are some thoughts of wise women on the topic of memory:
“In
memory
each of us is an artist: each of us creates.”
-Patricia
Hampl
“The
hills of one’s youth are all mountains.”
-Mari
Sandoz
“I
have a terrible memory; I never forget a thing.”
-Edith
Konecky
“Oh
may I join the choir invisible
Of
those immortal dead who live again
In
minds made better by their presence.”
-George
Eliot
“Memories are like corks left out of
bottles. They swell. They no longer fit.”
-Harriett
Doer
“The
charm, one might say the genius, of memory is that it is choosy, chancy
and temperamental; it rejects the edifying cathedral and indelibly photographs
the small boy outside, chewing a hunk of melon in the dust.”
-Elizabeth
Bowen
Good
readers, what wise woman’s words ring truest or cause you to think in new or
pleasurable ways?
My thanks go out to this week’s
sources: OED, Rosalie
Maggio’s The Beacon
Book of Quotations by Women
These are all such great quotes. I think I like the Edith Konecky one best. :-)
ReplyDeleteAll of them, to varying degrees, but Ms. Bowen's clicked most.
ReplyDeleteMemory is a very interesting thing, more malleable than most people realize. There have been some interesting psychological studies on memories...
Ahoy Rachel6 & Anne,
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the intrigue of memory, Rachel. Several years ago I heard a chap tell the tale of an accident we both witnessed. He may as well have been on another planet. Wow. And Anne, the Konecky quote brings to mind its opposite, offered by Vonnegut in "Harrison Bergeron," in which a dim-witted, happy character parrots the government's line, "Forget bad things."
I'm with Anne. I loved the Konecky quote. Never heard it before. I also love Doer's likening of memory to corks left out of bottles. For most of us writers, they're all pretty appropriate. Thanks, Charlie, for an insightful read. Hugs, P.
ReplyDeleteAhoy Paul - thanks for dropping by. It's always a pleasure to run into you (whether digitally or in the flesh). May you enjoy herding those corks.
ReplyDelete