“When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not.”Mark Twain · Scrieri și caiete · 1897 · Scrieri și caiete, Caietul 36
Young memory constructs recollections, it doesn't just record them.
Twain jokes about people's tendency to remember events that never happened, especially when they are young and building their identity. Memory is not a faithful recording, but a story we tell ourselves. For example, a grandfather might swear he saw a bear in his childhood yard, even though all evidence shows there were no bears in the area.
Why it matters This quote helps you be more skeptical of your own memories and understand that the past you remember is partly a construction, not an objective reality.