Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by William Faulkner

Quote by William Faulkner

Work

Absalom, Absalom!, typescript setting copy and miscellaneous material

William Faulkner's novel explores the intricate relationships and tragic history of the Compson family, delving into issues of race, class, and the American South's past. more

Author

William Faulkner
William Faulkner

William Faulkner, an American writer born on September 25, 1897, and died on July 6, 1962. Known for his unique narrative techniques and profound descriptions of Southern society and history, Faulkner is considered one of the great novelists of the 20th century. more

You May Also Like

“However modest one may be in one's demand for intellectual cleanliness, one cannot help feeling, when coming into contact with the New Testament, a kind of inexpressible discomfiture: for the unchecked impudence with which the least qualified want to raise their voice on the greatest problems, and even claim to be judges of such things, surpasses all measure. The shameless levity with which the most intractable problems (life, world, God, purpose of life) are spoken of, as if they were not problems at all but simply things that these little bigots knew!”

“If you are reading in order to become a better reader, you cannot read just any book or article. You will not improve as a reader if all you read are books that are well within your capacity. You must tackle books that are beyond you, or, as we have said, books that are over your head. Only books of that sort will make you stretch your mind. And unless you stretch, you will not learn.”

“Spent the fortnight gone in the music room reworking my year's fragments into a 'sextet for overlapping soloists': piano, clarinet, 'cello, flute, oboe, and violin, each in its own language of key, scale, and color. In the first set, each solo is interrupted by its successor; in the second, each interruption is recontinued, in order. Revolutionary or gimmicky? Shan't know until it's finished, and by then it'll be too late.”