Memento Identity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Memento.

Quote #4

Leonard is talking on the phone about Sammy. We see a shot of Sammy sitting in a chair. He is watching a person who walks in front of him. The person passes in between him and the camera, obscuring him. When we see Sammy again, he has been replaced by Leonard.

Teddy lies so often that it's hard to believe him when he tells Leonard that the story he thinks is Sammy's is actually his own. But despite Teddy being unreliable, this scene provides some pretty clear evidence that he's actually telling the truth this time. If Leonard is Sammy, that changes everything. It means his wife survived the assault and that he inadvertently killed her with her insulin shots. But does it change who he is?

Quote #5

LEONARD: We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different.

Leonard is comparing looking at ones physical appearance in a mirror to his own reading tattoos in a mirror. He's convincing himself that his need to be constantly reminded of who he is is a need that everyone experiences. Even if his is a bit more extreme, it's hardly abnormal. That's why we have this theme called identity. People care a lot about who they are… and how their hair looks.

Quote #6

LEONARD: So where are you? You're in some motel room. You just wake up and you're in... in a motel room. There's the key. It feels like maybe it's the first time you've been here but... perhaps you've been there for a week... three months, it's… it's kind of hard to say, I... I don't know. It's just an anonymous room.

We can't disagree. Not only is it an anonymous room it's also an anonymous town. And not only is it an anonymous town, but it's an anonymous man. Who is this guy narrating? He never tells us much about himself; he just appears on the screen and starts talking. Of course, he's a bit anonymous to himself as well, but we don't know that yet.