The Ultimate Seed Phrase Security: MEMORIZATION

[m2017]

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.

The dumbest person may have some difficulty with this, because it is not for nothing that he is dumbest.

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.

I like this part so much that I can't help but joke about the $5 wrench. You won't have to penetrate - you'll voluntarily "sing" the phrase and more to the accompaniment of the $5 wrench.

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.

This is where the backup problem comes in. Your memory is the only place where the seed phrase is stored, which means it's a vulnerability. Would you suggest making a backup (letting your seed phrase be learned) to your wife or girlfriend?

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.

5. This has already been voiced many times: in the form of a poem or song, in which words from the seed phrase are inserted, memorization occurs better and is long-term. And also, it will represent a "light" form of encryption.

I found a vulnerability in your method: if you blurt out a phrase in a dream or in delirium, and also, when drunk? This turns out to be a backdoor, not patched. In the form of a poem or song, it will be more difficult to isolate phrases, and if you also change the order of words from back to front, even more so.

[Zoomic]

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.

Instead of focusing only on memorising seedphrase, it would be safer to memorise the seedphrase and still save them offline because this way even if the physical storage gets destroyed, you can still make use of your memory. And where memory fails, the physical storage is readily available to aid with the retrieval of your coins. Relying only on memory is very risky, except you have no intentions of embarking on a long term bitcoin/crypto journey. Everything involves risks, but when choosing an option, go for the best one and have an alternative too. You should have a backup plan incase one fails you.

[Cricktor]

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.

Am I a bad citizen of my country that I can't recall my national anthem precisely. When I hear it, I know what it is. I can sing it in parts but not exactly. Same for lyrics of my favourite songs: I might recall them to nearly 100% or maybe 95%, don't know the exact figure. But less than 100% is not good enough for mnemonic recovery words!

You compare apples with oranges, somewhat.


With the proper technique almost anybody can memorize whatever they want, be it 12 or 24 recovery words or hundreds of Pi's digits. It's a matter of determination and proper technique. Different people may need different techniques, but that's not the point.

But there's a catch. Once you memorized something, you need to constantly repeat and verify you can recall it correctly (for recovery words you need to aim 100% correctness, not any less than that). For verification you need an unambiguously documented backup. You can't and shouldn't skip the backup, otherwise you play with fire. Well and this makes the long-term memorization kind of pointless, when you have to keep a physical backup.

Good luck with proper memorization when you need to memorize multiple wallet backup words sets.

OP, have you tried to memorize 12 words actually yourself? You can recall the word set now with 100% accuracy? Excellent.
Now, draw your attention to other stuff, maybe as life demands, whatever. See what happens after weeks or maybe months.
I'm pretty sure, you'll be surprised. (Oh, and don't cheat as you claimed physical backups are problematic. Let's see how it turns out, when you only have your wet brain's memory...  Don't do this with an important wallet, though!!).

I know, there are some memory geniuses out there, those are not the common role models for comparison. We're just normal dudes and gals and biological wet memory is a tricky thing, for sure.

[Josefjix]

A friend of mine was memorizing a seed phrase when he created his wallet around 2021, I told him it's not the best way for storing, saying it's best on paper, he failed to listen to me although his wallet was empty. Fast forward to 2023, I reminded him if he can still remember his 12 seed phrase, he felt ashamed and was looking at me as if I don't know what I mean. He couldn't even remember the first word not even the second or third. I reminded him that I warned him but he didn't listened.

Seed phrase storing by memorizing is not pretty much good to be advisable to anyone, it's a capital NO, I wouldn't allow whoever close to me to consider it, not even an option.

[red4slash]

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.

If I'm not mistaken, there was a similar discussion about this and I think the conclusion of the discussion will remain the same where in the end, although memorizing phrases or seeds is good, it will only remain as an option and not as the main focus.

We know that every method of securing phrases or seeds has its downsides but at the end of the day, the method of writing down phrases and storing them in a safe place is always the best option and allows everyone to do just that.
It is not meant to be demeaning when we memorize but in the end this will actually be vulnerable to forgetting especially sometimes not a few people who do not open their core wallet for a certain amount of time because I feel that way so memorizing is clearly a much greater risk due to the forgetting factor than writing and storing in a safe place. Although in the end this method can be said to be conventional, it is still very worth it.

[CryptoHeadlineNews]

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.

Just as many people have said in their respective comments above, I must confess that memorizing our Bitcoin wallet seed phrase alone is never the best means of securing it, as I would have suggest that diversifying the different means we secure our Bitcoin wallet seed phrase in both physical, digital and memorizing is indeed the best way of securing our wallet seed phrase. Because just as natural disaster may cause a lose of physical properties, so can also an accident cause damage to the brain that may make an individual lose memory (i.e amnesia).

[Tungbulu]

Just as many people have said in their respective comments above, I must confess that memorizing our Bitcoin wallet seed phrase alone is never the best means of securing it, as I would have suggest that diversifying the different means we secure our Bitcoin wallet seed phrase in both physical, digital and memorizing is indeed the best way of securing our wallet seed phrase. Because just as natural disaster may cause a lose of physical properties, so can also an accident cause damage to the brain that may make an individual lose memory (i.e amnesia).

I can’t help but agree with you mate.
I’m conclusion, no storage method is 100% guaranteed, thus people are going for the ones they believe is more reliable, but it’s funny how some folks here feels like memorizing one’s seed phrases is a bad idea because it’s more probable to have a head injury or some other medical complications that may affect the effectiveness of their brains, compared to experiencing some natural disaster or something else that may likely displace or damage their physical choice of storage, I don’t know if you get what I mean, but it’s just really ridiculous.

Yes, before now, I already knew that physical storage can prove to be an effective form of storage, but then again, in situations where people can’t rely on physical storage, can one not actually memorization? Would we still say or consider it to be totally stupid as some posters here claim? I asked a poster that question and I’m still yet to receive his response.

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

Well too bad I’m an immortal, my kind doesn’t age or die  

[Obari]

i couldn't help but laugh the hell out of myself and i was actually wondering what op was thinking when he was making this post because why the hell will someone be dedicating his time to memorizing seed phrase in their singular order and think all he has to do in his life is focus and concentrate on memorizing his seed phrase and this is just like trying to make life difficult for yourself when you can do them more better and get your life much more easier.

op i totally disagree with you on this very thread and i was also wondering if you ever thought of a memory loss and i understand that, every situation has advantages and also disadvantages but in this case, the disadvantages outweighs the advantages outrageously and in this, i just want to plead with you to dead this very thought and go get a hardware wallet or the regular method we are familiar with.

:.N/B.  i didn't bother to read your entire thread after the first and last paragraph and the thread title

[DeathAngel]

All methods have points of failure. Memorisation is great as long as you have a great memory. I don’t trust myself to remember that many words though so I employ a different method. Nobody else will ever find my seeds & no elements or weather will perish them. I am sure that my method is secure.

[Rruchi man]

All methods have points of failure. Memorisation is great as long as you have a great memory. I don’t trust myself to remember that many words though so I employ a different method.

In memorisation, you have to be really sure of your memory and sure of yourself that you actually know your strengths. If you're unsure of yourself and your strengths, you would make the wrong decision, thinking that memorization is something you could do, forgetting that every day stress, pressure, and trauma can actually make you forget one of the figures.

People forget passwords all the time; that's why applications like password manager were created; forgetting a seed phrase even if it was memorized for a whole month is not something impossible.

[shield132]

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.

~snip~

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.

Memorization is very risky without a real backup. To my mind, memorization of 12 words is risky but possible for those who have a good memory and naturally low level of stress but memorization of 24 words is very risky and near the point of failure. We shouldn't ignore the importance of stress levels. When you don't have a physical backup and depend on your memory, you are always under stress because your wallet and fortune depend on your memory, and you are afraid that you might lose the combination of numbers. Your memory also needs to repeat 12 words very frequently in order to not forget them.
Medal has two sides. Memorization of seeds has a positive side but it also has a big negative side. I think that for an average person, memorization without a real asset is a big risk and doesn't end up well.

[Mame89]

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.

Yes, that's right. If you just memorize it, especially those related to seed phrases, of course it is very risky, because if you get one letter wrong, your wallet cannot be accessed. Moreover, the memory of the head certainly changes, such as the older you get, the harder it is to remember something, why? Because the performance of our hippocampus will weaken over time, coupled with a bad lifestyle, our memory will quickly weaken.

It doesn't matter if you memorize the seed phrase, but you still have to have other alternatives such as writing it down on paper and keeping it safe, so it's better to do both. Because the seed phrase is very important for the security of our assets, don't take this for granted. Even though you already have a good grip when memorizing, it does not guarantee that your wallet will be safe in the long term. Not to mention if a major disaster befalls our heads such as being hit, falling and so on, of course this will have an impact on your memory.

[Becassine]

Since it's obvious that a brain wallet alone is not at all a good option, it could only be in addition to a physical backup, I wondered about the storage location, especially after all the recent natural disasters all over the world.

In the end, I came to the conclusion that having a garden, even a small garden, or a backyard can be useful. It would be a matter of digging a deep enough hole and make a mold/box of reinforced concrete into it - a small square would suffice. By placing a titanium plate with the words engraved on it, this solution could withstand a fire (even a large one) and perhaps even heavy flooding. What do you think?

[Cryptoprincess101]

Memorizing a sensitive security information like seed phrases sounds so archaic to me because apart from the chances of getting a brain disorder in the future, how can one hold on to 12 to 24 words in the brain for so many years. Except for someone who might likely be accessing their wallet frequently, but even as that it is better to write it down and keep it safe in a secured place so that if peradventure anything happens to you, those who are dear to you (loved ones) can accidentally find it and it becomes beneficial to them. If you are in a critical condition that is life threatening, it may be difficult to tell someone the seed phrases you have memorized in your brain but when it is written down and kept safe, you can easily tell someone you trust where it is, and they can use the funds in it to forward your treatments.

[NotATether]

the best form of security is doing things the traditional way: memorizing a seed phrase

No. Just no.
Memorizing is nice, for short term. For long term it's not working well.
* memory is playing tricks and over time you may think you've memorized a certain word, but the seed actually contains a synonym of it. And it's just one simple example.
* memory goes from bad to worse with aging
* accidents do happen. And a bump in your head can make you forget  a lot of things. It would be shame to also leave you poor.

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

Exactly. You should not attempt to memorize something that you will use very rarely because it will be easier for you to forget it that way. It is far more efficient for you to write it down somewhere, remember where you put it, and then forget about its contents than to try to memorize everything when you are probably going to be thinking of some other more important things for the day anyway.

[justinlamode]

All methods have points of failure. Memorisation is great as long as you have a great memory. I don’t trust myself to remember that many words though so I employ a different method. Nobody else will ever find my seeds & no elements or weather will perish them. I am sure that my method is secure.

You will think you have great memory until time passes like two years passes, then five years and before ten years, you will realize that human memory can fail with time. I have tried this memorization of simple password before and I knew the kind of problem I had one day in which I surprisingly forgot the password I thought I would never forget. I will never support memorization especially for someone that wants to hold for years because it is risky and something that can make you lose what took you years to build.

One of the best approach is always to write the seed phrase down either in steal plate and storing it properly in a place that only you know and possibly your confidant like someone that will inherit your Bitcoin in case anything happens.

[Spaceman1000$]

For all the storage facilities that you outlisted, they have their own advantage and disadvantage, but I strongly discourage memorizing of your seed phrase as only means of storage, before now I'm strong advocate of memorizing things that are important to oneself, but over the years, I've come to realize that once you miss one number of the thing you most have kept in your memory, the ability to recall become hard. So my own advocacy would be that you should document whatever information that you feel is important to you on a physical copy and keep it at a very safe place, as human beings there are lots and lots of places we have as our safe harbor that we can store things. So if you can memorize your seed phrase and still keep a physical copy of it, it help you, because once you have it in your memory you can easily access it from any part of the world, however if there is a case of you forgeting or having a missing word, you could always take a step back to check at your physical storage.

[Z-tight]

In the end, I came to the conclusion that having a garden, even a small garden, or a backyard can be useful. It would be a matter of digging a deep enough hole and make a mold/box of reinforced concrete into it - a small square would suffice. By placing a titanium plate with the words engraved on it, this solution could withstand a fire (even a large one) and perhaps even heavy flooding. What do you think?

I don't really know about this method, i have never read anyone recommend something like this. The seed phrase is going to be stored outside the house, and a lot of people will be uncomfortable with that, it may also be impossible to do so without raising suspicion from the neighbors. I always recommend that people store their backup in different locations as protection from things like natural disasters and all.

[Becassine]

In the end, I came to the conclusion that having a garden, even a small garden, or a backyard can be useful. It would be a matter of digging a deep enough hole and make a mold/box of reinforced concrete into it - a small square would suffice. By placing a titanium plate with the words engraved on it, this solution could withstand a fire (even a large one) and perhaps even heavy flooding. What do you think?

I don't really know about this method, i have never read anyone recommend something like this. The seed phrase is going to be stored outside the house, and a lot of people will be uncomfortable with that, it may also be impossible to do so without raising suspicion from the neighbors. I always recommend that people store their backup in different locations as protection from things like natural disasters and all.

When you're used to tending to your garden, there's not much to alert the neighbors. It's true that American-style gardens (like the ones I see in the TV series), which have no fences and are visible to all, aren't very conducive to this kind of DIY. But how do you protect your seed from a fire like the one we saw in California? You advise people to put seeds in different places, but where and how?

[Cricktor]

But how do you protect your seed from a fire like the one we saw in California? You advise people to put seeds in different places, but where and how?

You can use stainless steel or titanium washers or plates. Normal fires won't melt those metals. You bury the stuff deep enough and fire on the surface won't affect it.

Where and how depends on to what you have access. Spread your stuff simply in enough redundant manner. Here also Shamir Secret Shares can shine because no single Shamir Secret Share reveals anything about the hidden data as long as the threshold of required shares is not hit.

But we digress from the main topic. I would rather like to rephrase the topic's title: (Sole) MEMORIZATION: the ultimate recipe for desaster!