Self deception in someone else’s interest:

Memory is a pretty subjective thing, Red. They could have started out with ‘Isn’t it possible that he purchased four or five dishtowels?’ and worked their way up from there. ==If enough people want you to remember something, that can be a pretty powerful persuader.==”

Self deception in self interest shortly later:

“But there’s one even more powerful,” Andy went on in that musing way of his. “==I think it’s at least possible that he convinced himself==. It was the limelight. Reporters asking him questions, his picture in the papers … all topped, of course, by his star turn in court. I’m not saying that he deliberately falsified his story, or perjured himself. ==I think it’s possible that he could have passed a lie detector test with flying colors, or sworn on his mother’s sacred name== that I bought those dishtowels. But still … memory is such a goddam subjective thing.

Then later in Tommy’s story, fearing self deception against Andy’s interest:

Now … listen to me, Red. ==I know guys sometimes make things up after they know a thing==, but even before I knew about this golf pro guy, Quentin, I remember thinking that if El Blatch ever burgled my house, and I found out about it later, I’d have to count myself just about the luckiest motherfucker going still to be alive.

See also: [[Assume you misremembered, memories are fabricated]]

Source: [[Shawshank Redemption]]

#Memory