“Memory is a strange thing: it is not what we remember, but what we forget that defines us.”
What this quote means
Silvina Ocampo explores the paradoxical nature of memory: what we forget is as defining as what we remember. Our forgetfulness, whether voluntary or involuntary, shapes our identity by filtering our past. This resonates because it invites us to reflect on what we choose to leave behind. It applies when we define ourselves by our memories, reminding us that forgetting can be a form of wisdom.
How to apply it daily
Think of a memory you have chosen to forget and write down how that forgetting has influenced who you are today.
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