"Many a man fails as an original thinker simply because his memory it too good"
- Friedrich Nietzsche
About this Quote
In this quote, Nietzsche is highlighting the prospective downside of having an outstanding memory. He suggests that some individuals who have remarkable memory capabilities might have a hard time to establish initial thoughts due to the fact that they rely too greatly on their current understanding and experiences. Essentially, their memory works against them in regards to creativity, as they have a hard time to break out of their preexisting mental frameworks. Hence, Nietzsche argues that initial thinking requires a certain degree of lapse of memory, the ability to let go of what one understands and think about alternative point of views, concepts, and possibilities.