Memory is a great artist. For every man and for every woman it makes the recollection of his or her life a work of art and an unfaithful record.

This quote means that memory is an extremely creative force. For every person, it takes all the events that have happened in their life, and turns it into something unique and beautiful, like a work of art. However, it can also be unreliable, since the memories can be distorted or different from the actual events that happened.