Learn about how memories shape happiness and life through these Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind quotes.
Have you ever encountered a heartbreaking moment you want to forget forever? It could be about a breakup, a death of a loved one, or even self-inflicted pain.
There are so many sad moments in life that we’d like to forget about forever. So, would you do it if you’re offered a chance to delete all of these memories in your head like Joel and Clementine?
It’s so tempting to simply say yes. However, before deciding whether to go for it or not, you must first read the best Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind quotes.
Through these lines, you’ll see the ups and downs of Joel and Clementine’s decision, what led to it, and whether it’s truly something we should opt for, given a chance. Life will never be all about the highs, so let’s learn to deal with the lows, too, through this collection of quotes.
And make sure to check out these Lady Bird quotes and Titanic quotes.
Best Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Quotes
1. “People have to share things. That’s what intimacy is.” – Clementine Kruczynski
2. “You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story.” – Joel Barish
3. “I’m always anxious, thinking I’m not living my life to the fullest, taking advantage of every possibility, making sure I’m not wasting one second of the little time I have.” – Clementine Kruczynski
4. “I thought I knew her so well, but I don’t know her at all. What a loss to spend that much time with someone, only to find out that she’s a stranger.” – Joel Barish
5. “Remember me. Try your best. Maybe we can.” – Clementine Kruczynski
6. Joel Barish: “I can’t see anything that I don’t like about you.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “But you will! You will think of things, and I’ll get bored of you and feel trapped because that’s what happens with me!”
7. “Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.” – Joel Barish
8. “Look at it out here! It’s all falling apart. I’m erasing you, and I’m happy! You did it to me first. I can’t believe you did this to me. Clem! Did you hear me? By morning, you’ll be gone! The perfect ending to this piece of sh*t story!” – Joel Barish
9. “Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders.” – Mary Svevo
10. “How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! The world forgetting, by the world, forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.” – Mary Svevo
11. “Joel, look at me. You’ll remember me in the morning, and you’ll come to me, and you’ll tell me about us, and we’ll start over.” – Clementine Kruczynski
12. “Too many guys think I’m a concept, or I complete them, or I’m gonna make them alive. But I’m just a f*cked-up girl who’s lookin’ for my own peace of mind; don’t assign me yours.” – Clementine Kruczynski
13. “Sand is overrated. It’s just tiny, little rocks.” – Joel Barish
14. “Adults are, like, this mess of sadness and phobias.” – Mary Svevo
Famous Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Quotes
15. “I dislike myself when I’m with him. I don’t like myself anymore.” – Clementine Kruczynski
16. “Are we like those bored couples you feel sorry for in restaurants? Are we the dining dead? I can’t stand the idea of us being a couple of people think that about.” – Joel Barish
17. “I can’t remember anything without you.” – Joel Barish
18. “I could die right now, Clem. I’m just happy. I’ve never felt that before. I’m just exactly where I want to be.” – Joel Barish
19. “I’m lost. I’m scared. I feel like I’m disappearing.” – Clementine Kruczynski
20. “Valentine’s Day is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap.” – Joel Barish
21. “Please let me keep this memory—just this one.” – Joel Barish
22. “Why do I fall in love with every woman I see that shows me the least bit of attention?” – Joel Barish
23. Joel Barish: “I have to go. I have to catch my ride.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “So go!”
Joel Barish: “I did. I thought maybe you were a nut, but you were exciting.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “I wish you had stayed.”
Joel Barish: “I wish I had stayed too. Now I wish I had stayed. I wish I had done a lot of things. I wish I had—I wish I had stayed. I do.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “Well, I came back downstairs, and you were gone!”
Joel Barish: “I walked out. I walked out the door!”
Clementine Kruczynski: “Why?”
Joel Barish: “I don’t know. I felt like a scared little kid, I was like—it was above my head, I don’t know.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “You were scared?”
Joel Barish: “Yeah. I thought you knew that about me. I ran back to the bonfire, trying to outrun my humiliation, I think.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “Was it something I said?”
Joel Barish: “Yeah. You said, ‘So go,’ with such disdain, you know?”
Clementine Kruczynski: “Oh, I’m sorry.”
Joel Barish: “It’s okay.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “Joel? What if you stayed this time?”
Joel Barish: “I walked out the door. There’s no memory left.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “Come back and make up a goodbye, at least. Let’s pretend we had one.”
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Quotes Packed With Meaning
24. Clementine Kruczynski: “Sometimes I think people don’t understand how lonely it is to be a kid—like you don’t matter. So, I’m eight, and I have these toys, these dolls. My favorite is this ugly girl doll who I call Clementine, and I keep yelling at her, ‘You can’t be ugly! Be pretty!’ It’s weird, like if I can transform her, I would magically change, too.”
Joel Barish: “You’re pretty.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “Joel, don’t ever leave me.”
Joel Barish: “You’re pretty. You’re pretty. Pretty.”
25. “If only I could meet someone new. I guess my chances of that happening are somewhat diminished, seeing that I’m incapable of making eye contact with a woman I don’t know.” – Joel Barish
26. “You stop listening to what is true, and what is true is constantly changing.” – Clementine Kruczynski
27. “You don’t tell me things, Joel. I’m an open book. I tell you everything, every damn, embarrassing thing.” – Clementine Kruczynski
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Quotes for Heart-Shaking Lines
28. “I don’t need nice. I don’t need myself to be it, and I don’t need anybody else to be it at me.” – Clementine Kruczynski
29. Joel Barish: “I had a really nice time last night.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “Nice?”
Joel Barish: “I had the best f*cking night of my entire f*cking life last night!”
Clementine Kruczynski: “That’s better!”
30. Clementine Kruczynski: “This is it, Joel. It’s going to be gone soon.”
Joel Barish: “I know.”
Clementine Kruczynski: “What do we do?”
Joel Barish: “Enjoy it.”
What Would You Do if You Were Offered a Chance to Erase All Your Bad Memories?
When we face a terrible situation, we always say that we must forgive and forget. Forgiving is hard enough to do; can we really say we’ve forgotten every pain inflicted on us?
Some of our lowest days can be found when we break up with our partner or if our partner has hurt us in any way. When Joel and Clementine’s relationship turned sour and bitter, they both turned to a procedure that could erase all of the memories they had together.
Initially, it might seem like a great thing to have all your painful memories erased. However, they soon came to regret their decision.
Remember that our past and our memories shape us into who we are; this fact works for both the good and the bad memories. Without them, we would feel incomplete as a person.
Even if we’re given a chance to do it, we should never be tempted to erase or throw away things that make us who we are. Facing both the good and the bad is the only way to grow and move forward.
So, let Joel and Clementine serve as an example. Some days might be painful, but remember that brighter days will overpower them!
