But the thing is I still remember my potato chip story today. I could repeat the entire thing verbally in my mind, but I don't need to repeat it because I already know it. The memory of verbally encoding the story of potato chips is enough for me to think about the story about potato chips, I don't need to replay the words in my mind. Of course to really analyze the story and have the most control over the thoughts, I need to verbalize them, but at a basic level I can remember what I said without having to say it again.