The Ultimate Seed Phrase Security: MEMORIZATION

[Hazink]

Before making this post, I already know a lot of people, if not everyone would tongue lash me for even suggesting this method, especially those who think their brains doesn’t have the capacity to accumulate and retain 12 phrases that literally means more than a lot to them, but honestly that’s totally lame, first of all, I’m not saying this is the best or the perfect method, but in most cases, I’m sure some persons would have wished they memorized their phrases.

Our brain capacity is not the same; if you know the danger, then you shouldn't have suggested it to others in the first place. Well, it's a thing of choice, but it could also be misleading to some newbies because you can carry things in your head for years; it does not mean others can also do that.

Have you guys considered why even up till now, it’s still impossible to forget your country’s national anthem or the lyrics to that your favourite song, even when your life doesn’t depend on it or when it doesn’t mean that much to you, and still you don’t believe it’s possible store 12 phrases in your head for as long as you want (except there’s a medical complications that affects your memories) A lot of people are against this idea, not just because it’s a totally stupid idea but because they just don’t in their head see the possibility there.

When life hits you so hard with responsibilities and other things, anything is purpose; in fact, I have forgotten some information that I think was stamped in my brain unless I have something that could lead my mind back to it, which there will still be some imperfections.

On the other hand, your favourite song or rhyme is not the same thing as your bitcoin, which is a fortune; you can easily memorise those back when you forget them, but for a seed phrase, there is no coming back.

[Porfirii]

I’m not saying storing your phrases offline is completely bad, I’m saying that it’s not 100% secure and anything can happen at anytime and you lose it, and if eventually this happens and you lose your backup phrases to a natural disaster or some other inevitable or unforeseen factors, that’ll only mean you’ve lost everything, but if you’re able to memorize your phrases in such a situation, would you all still maintain your opinions that memorizing one’s phrases is totally stupid?

You can lose your backup phrases in many ways, although it is not something very likely. We all think about floods, fires and home robberies very vividly but in terms of real probability chances of happening are low.

If you complement storing your keys physically with memorising them, then you'd be adding an extra layer of security, but as said in another post before, the chances of having brain damage through the years is not so low, so it shouldn't be the only way to recover them.

IMO, the best practice is to have different keys of different wallets in different locations, even if it makes it hard to learn all them by heart.

[Baofeng]

Nah, memory can play tricks on us so it's not a good security for our seed phrase. Maybe in the beginning you can memorized it, nevertheless there might be time that you will totally forget one word or the arrangement of your seed phrase because, and when that happens, it's irrecoverable loss.

And this could also cause you some mental stress. I mean you are constantly worrying about your seed phrase. Another is what if you die? your love ones will not be able to retrieved it since you are the only one who knows it - single point of failure.

[Futurexxx]

Their is a saying in my country that "A word written on a piece of paper is way more longer than any memory".

It sounds very easy to memorize your secret phase, but if you are stupid enough to try that shit with your hard earned money, honestly speaking, your money or investment is gone, because it wouldn't even last up to a day before you forget a word in it, considering how lengthy the secret phase is, the twelve letter words to be precise, so it is one of the most terrible way to save your secret phase in my own opinion.
The most reliable way to save your secret phase is to write it down on a sheet of paper and place it in a very secure place where only you have access to.

[moneystery]

human memory is not like a computer that is able to memorize correctly and precisely, even though we are able to divide it into several parts and memorize it individually and connect each word to interpersonal imagery, but one word that is misplaced, then the chance of someone messing it all up is too high. so I don't think that the best way to store seed phrases is by memorizing them because someone has a very high chance of misplacing or forgetting one or two words from their seed phrase.

[bitbollo]

I can just agree with major comments. this is one of the worst method you can use for your private key or seed phrase.
I think that when you are trying to understand what is the perfect storage you must think on the WORST ever possible scenario.
Can you access to your seed phrase after many years? Can you transfer this wealth to your family in case you're not present? Can you trust yourself (like you will not reveal never this precious information? And many many others "can you"? The answer is just NO. This is why your MUST avoid this as way for storage.

[Lida93]

>THE DANGERS OF PHYSICAL STORAGE

One can keep seed phrases either on paper or in electronic form, and some pay argue that putting the paper inside a safe, or in a locked cabinet may feel like enough security. However, these methods are not reliable as reliable as they may appear to be. Safes can be breached and open, cabinets can be forced opened, papers can be misplaced or destroyed. Further, existing physical storage procedures may face severe challenges such as natural disasters, fire outbreaks, or floods.
A very good example is the recent fire outbreak in LA that consumed everything in its path, so imagine someone in that neighborhood has a hardware wallet in his house with the pass phrases hidden in somewhere in the house he considered safe and the fire came and engulfed his house, he’ll literally lose every single thing. Even if the the safe is fireproof, and it’s a flood, everything can be easily displaced.

You have made a  good argument against physical storage but still it doesn't make sense security-wise to accept in safely securing our seed phrase. Picking up memorization of seed phrase over physical storage is a road path to easily losing your seed phrase without trying.

Physical storage method such as you had critique are the best ways of  having your seed phrase safe and not having to face the risk of forgetting it anytime shortly. While storing in physical storage like paper and on metal you would have to store them in different locations each, in that way even the engulfing wildfire outbreak in LA you made instance of can't consume them in those different locations. If it got one then the other two are safe in their different locations unlike memory that the wildfire outbreak can cause you trauma that you can forget your seed phrase out of the shock and lose it all.

[Orpichukwu]

Nah, memory can play tricks on us so it's not a good security for our seed phrase. Maybe in the beginning you can memorized it, nevertheless there might be time that you will totally forget one word or the arrangement of your seed phrase because, and when that happens, it's irrecoverable loss.

This is also the area with which I disagree with the OP; you can memorise all those words, and in the first few hours it will be very okay, and maybe it could extend to a few days; after then you will be hit with options like which among the words comes first and which one comes last, which is the beginning of losing everything that's held in there. Another thing you will face is remembering a different word that sounds the same with the phrase, either the same pronunciation with different spelling or the other. way round.

[Btcdeybodi]

Inasmuch as our brain can fail us sometimes, maybe as a result of compounded functions it carries, it is not advisable to memorize your seed phrases. The only advice i can give is that we should not have only one wallet. It is necessary to create many wallets and split your funds in each one of them so that if peradventure any of your seed phrases get compromised, it won't affect all your funds as you will still be left with other wallets to fall back to. No form of security is 100% efficient but cramming or memorizing your seed phrases is the worst form of security because if anything happens to your brain in the future, that's the end of it.

[Stalker22]

I get why some folks dont wanna write down secret info though and  physical paper or digital data can get stolen or hacked too.  But theres safer options now for protecting your backup phrases.  Hardware wallets and secure flash drives do a way better job securing your keys while still letting you access them when needed.  Those tools make way more sense for most people compared to just trying to commit long strings of random words to memory.   

So Id say ditch the idea of just memorizing.  Use technology to your advantage - hardware password managers help you secure wallet phrases without relying on unreliable human brain.

[Ale88]

Eliminating the issues associated with physical and electronic storage is possible since memorizing your seed phrase is 100% possible that even the dumbest person can do it. In this way, your phrase is shielded in a way and you adhere it to your memory so well that no external interuption has a way to penetrate it. In general, your seed phrase will be safe unless there is an exceptionally serious case, for instance, when you suffer a head blow or other health problems that results in amnesia.

I totally disagree: relying only on our own memory to remember the seed is a huge risk that I would never take. And for me the problem is not even learning the seed (I have a pretty good memory) but the fact that, as you mention yourself, you may lose your memory for different reasons. Or, worst case scenario, you die (I know it's not nice to say but it's a possibility) and at that point your family would be totally screwed.

You can use metal plates to write down your seed phrase and those are fire and water resistant for example, you only mention paper or electronically and that is not true.

[Z-tight]

I don't know how many times we will say this, but we have to as long as people keep coming up with the idea, it is a terrible idea to memorize your seed phrase. No matter how well you believe your memory is or how good you think your plan is, anything can happen to you and you forget what you have memorized or you forget the correct order. Back up your seed phrase on paper or on a stainless steel and store in more than one location.

[Salahmu]

Before making this post, I already know a lot of people, if not everyone would tongue lash me for even suggesting this method, especially those who think their brains doesn’t have the capacity to accumulate and retain 12 phrases that literally means more than a lot to them, but honestly that’s totally lame, first of all, I’m not saying this is the best or the perfect method, but in most cases, I’m sure some persons would have wished they memorized their phrases.

Have you guys considered why even up till now, it’s still impossible to forget your country’s national anthem or the lyrics to that your favourite song,

I understand what you are trying to say but to memorize seed phrases that has 12 units complete words is not easy buddy and even if I had lost my account because of not having or remembering were I kept my seed phrase will not make me wish If I had memorize it because I already I no that I cannot do it, so actually for those who would have the large memory to contain or store so much letters should also think of other way to store it because it make more sense that as someone have it on there memories, they will also have it offline because memory can be very fragile a little hit on the head is capable of making someone forget everything or some of the things they no. Meanwhile about the national anthem even after knowing it, sometimes people still forget steps when resighting it.

[Stalker22]

~
I’m not saying storing your phrases offline is completely bad, I’m saying that it’s not 100% secure and anything can happen at anytime and you lose it, and if eventually this happens and you lose your backup phrases to a natural disaster or some other inevitable or unforeseen factors, that’ll only mean you’ve lost everything, but if you’re able to memorize your phrases in such a situation, would you all still maintain your opinions that memorizing one’s phrases is totally stupid?

So, do you at least agree that remembering your security phrase as your only backup option is a bad idea?  Because thats the core issue here, not whether memorization is possible. You are creating a false dichotomy. Nobody is saying memorization is impossible, we are saying relying solely on it is idiotic.

The point is, memorization is unreliable. Our brains are fallible and forgetful.  Memories fade over time, get muddled by stress or trauma.  Trusting solely your brain for something as vital as backup seed phrases? Thats reckless - displaying a poor grasp of risk management, to say the least.

[Tungbulu]

~
I’m not saying storing your phrases offline is completely bad, I’m saying that it’s not 100% secure and anything can happen at anytime and you lose it, and if eventually this happens and you lose your backup phrases to a natural disaster or some other inevitable or unforeseen factors, that’ll only mean you’ve lost everything, but if you’re able to memorize your phrases in such a situation, would you all still maintain your opinions that memorizing one’s phrases is totally stupid?

So, do you at least agree that remembering your security phrase as your only backup option is a bad idea?  Because thats the core issue here, not whether memorization is possible. You are creating a false dichotomy. Nobody is saying memorization is impossible, we are saying relying solely on it is idiotic.

Speak for yourself!
If you think memorizing your phrase is idiotic that’s your view and even if it’s general accepted idea, it still doesn’t mean there ain’t people who think otherwise.
Tell me a storage method that’s 100% secure and guarantees the maximum safety of your funds, and I’ll agree with you that the idea of memorizing one’s phrase is idiotic as you say.

What works for one person may sound idiotic to another and that’s just cool.

[Zwei]

All in all, this forum contains a lot of good ways to save your seed offline. Memorizing it is not one of them.

i wouldn't say it's totally a bad way. as long as your seed phrase isn't only stored in your head, it could definitely be a good extra backup on top of your backup of the backup, if you know what i mean.

I leave it up to everyone to choose how they want to store their sensitive information, although I agree that one should not rely solely on their brains when it comes to such matters. It's not just that we can forget such information due to an injury or illness, but that we can also reveal such information if we are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and are not fully aware of what we are saying.

i can imagine this being the plot of a movie like Inception. instead of stealing corporate secrets, they steal your seed phrase. hehehehe.

[Akbarkoe]

SNIP

All of these points have their risks, I'm not denying that even when we memorize the phrases, the risk is memory loss and if you forget one phrase it's a nightmare for you and your assets.
I think writing it down properly in a field that has strong resistance is much better than memorizing, it is also traditional and it will work better after you memorize it, so you have two ways to keep your wallet phrase very strong which is by memory and writing.

[tread93]

As the development and advancement of the cryptocurrency industry continues to unfold, the problem of security remains acute for investors and enthusiasts of cryptocurrencies. The seed phase is one of the essential security measures that should be adequately taken to protect our digital assets. The seed phrase here is one that grants anyone access the wallet and the amount of money that is available in there as we already know. But the 1 bill I dollars question remains where must be the best and safest place for storing this valuable information?

In a world filled with hacking threats, physical storage vulnerabilities, and technological failures, I've come to a realization: the best place to store my seed phrase is actually in my head. Yes; and now, I walk through the process of memorizing and knowing all my seed phrases by heart.

>THE DANGERS OF PHYSICAL STORAGE

One can keep seed phrases either on paper or in electronic form, and some pay argue that putting the paper inside a safe, or in a locked cabinet may feel like enough security. However, these methods are not reliable as reliable as they may appear to be. Safes can be breached and open, cabinets can be forced opened, papers can be misplaced or destroyed. Further, existing physical storage procedures may face severe challenges such as natural disasters, fire outbreaks, or floods.
A very good example is the recent fire outbreak in LA that consumed everything in its path, so imagine someone in that neighborhood has a hardware wallet in his house with the pass phrases hidden in somewhere in the house he considered safe and the fire came and engulfed his house, he’ll literally lose every single thing. Even if the the safe is fireproof, and it’s a flood, everything can be easily displaced.

>THE DANGERS OF DIGITAL STORAGE

Also unsafe are digital storage forms that include copying seed phrases in a computer or phone. Technology malwares, ranked hacking, and general technological disasters can in varying degrees jeopardize digital storage. Also, decentralization of the seed phrase also implies that your seed phrase is only as safe as the device or digital platform you use.

THE POWER OF MEMORIZATION

Eliminating the issues associated with physical and electronic storage is possible since memorizing your seed phrase is 100% possible that even the dumbest person can do it. In this way, your phrase is shielded in a way and you adhere it to your memory so well that no external interuption has a way to penetrate it. In general, your seed phrase will be safe unless there is an exceptionally serious case, for instance, when you suffer a head blow or other health problems that results in amnesia.

I’m not saying it’s an easy thing to do, It needs focus and commitment to memorize a seed phrase. I’ve been able to come up with some helpful tips to help anyone commit their phrase to memory:

1. Break it down: Split your seed phrase into segments to make it easier for you to memorize them if in case you end up forgetting them.
2. Create associations: Connect each word or phrase to individual and interpersonal imagery.
3. Repeat and rehearse: Now and then, repeat your seed phrase to help refresh your memory.
4. Use mnemonic devices: When recalling information use methods such as an abbreviation or creation of a rhyme, just as if you’re learning how to memorize your country’s national anthem.

CONCLUSION

In the current world, where cybersecurity threats and natural disasters and theft are prevalent, the best form of security is doing things the traditional way: memorizing a seed phrase. When you memorize your phrase, you are also free from all the risks that you have with the physical and digital storage. Though it takes time and commitment, But still, you are secure knowing your seed phrase is safe and can be used at any time needed. Therefore, attempt memorizing your seed phrase today; you should start memorizing it today if you haven’t. You’ll be glad you did it for your digital assets.

Honestly, memory is great and all but the moment you are gone and dead well then we have a problem because your heirs will never inherit any of the remaining coin that you have and that is such a sad and foolish thing to have happen. There still isn't really a perfect solution to be fully secure and trusting for passing down your seed phrase. I suppose with a very trusting lawyer / trust & maybe something of this combo but even that is complicated. I think honeslty the most secure way, even though you lose everything that Bitcoin was created for and its not even really the real coin but it would surely be passed on to the next generation pretty much seamlessly is holding your bitcoin in the form of the ETF. It kills me to say this but for the sheer purpose of moving it down the family line when you die, I think that option takes the cake.

[Lucius]

I leave it up to everyone to choose how they want to store their sensitive information, although I agree that one should not rely solely on their brains when it comes to such matters. It's not just that we can forget such information due to an injury or illness, but that we can also reveal such information if we are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and are not fully aware of what we are saying.

i can imagine this being the plot of a movie like Inception. instead of stealing corporate secrets, they steal your seed phrase. hehehehe.

In the world we live in, everything is possible - hacking a computer or hacking someone's brain to get the desired information is only a matter of the method that will be used. For some people, just a little more alcohol is enough to make them say things they would never say while sober, not to mention what is possible with certain substances or even with the help of hypnosis.

In my opinion, it is crucial that we do not share the information with anyone that we have such a thing at all - because if no one knows that we have seed/private keys, then we will not be a target.

[Mayor of ogba]

In the current world, where cybersecurity threats and natural disasters and theft are prevalent, the best form of security is doing things the traditional way: memorizing a seed phrase.

Since a wallet seed phrase is not a phone number or a bank account number that is very easy to memorize, it's never advisable for people to memorize their wallet seed phrase because if they miss any word from their seed phrase or misspell any word from their seed phrase, they will lose access to their wallet and also their bitcoin. So the best way or form to keep your seed phrase and wallet safe is to write down your seed phrase on a paper immediately after you create your wallet and store it in different locations that are free from natural disasters and only known to you so that someone else will not have access to it, which could possibly cause you to lose your asset.