Why we can't just tell you your password

For your protection, we don't actually store your password in the database. Instead, we store a piece of data which, for complex mathematical reasons, cannot be turned back into your original password. However, it is easy to turn your password into that piece of data again. This "one-way street" lets us verify that your password is correct while encrypting it on disk.

Therefore, if anyone gains access to your personal data, it is virtually impossible for that person to obtain your original password. This is very important if you (like most people) reuse passwords between sites. It may be more work and an inconvenience if you lose your password, but this extra security is for your protection.