Page 110 - How to Develop A SUPER-POWER MEMORY

It Pays to Remember Foreign Language
Vocabulary and Abstract Information

The more intelligible a thing is, the more easily it is retained in
the memory, and contrariwise, the less intelligible it is, the more
easily we forget it.
—Benedict Spinoza

You may not think that the above quote shows any particu-
lar brilliance on the part of Mr. Spinoza. You may feel,
"Sure, anyone knows that if something is intelligible, or
makes sense, it is easier to remember." Well, that's true,
it is an obvious thought, but it took Mr. Spinoza to say it,
or put it down on paper just that way, as far back as the
17th century.
I'm making a fuss about this particular quote because it
tells you in one sentence what this entire book is about. Al-
most all the systems in the book are basically that—they
help make unintelligible things intelligible. One example,
of course, is the Peg system; numbers by themselves are
usually unintelligible, but the use of the Peg system makes
them mean something to you.
Perhaps the best example is in trying to memorize for-
eign language vocabulary. A word in a foreign language is
nothing but a conglomeration of sounds to anyone who is

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