/Quotes
11 quotes

William Faulkner

1897 - 1962

William Faulkner was an American writer known for his Southern Gothic style of writing. He is best known for his novels such as "The Sound and the Fury," "As I Lay Dying," and "Light in August," which are considered classics of American literature. Faulkner is celebrated for his complex narratives, profound psychological insights, and rich portrayal of the American South.

  1. Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.

    William FaulknerLion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner, 1926-1962, p. 255
    #reading#learning#writing

  2. Don't bother just to be better than others. Try to be better than yourself.

    William FaulknerEssays, Speeches & Public Letters, edited by James B. Meriwether, p. 184, 1965
    #self#improvement#motivation

  3. The past is never dead. It’s not even past.

    William FaulknerAbsalom, Absalom!, p. 110, 1936
    #past#memory#time

  4. Dreams have only one owner at a time. That’s why dreamers are lonely.

    William FaulknerIntruder in the Dust, 1948
    #dreams#loneliness#ownership

  5. Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.

    William FaulknerUniversity of Mississippi address, 1954
    #voice#justice#truth

  6. Lovers have a right to betray you... friends don't.

    William FaulknerIntruder in the Dust, page number needed, approximate year 1948
    #betrayal#love#friendship

  7. Read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read.

    William FaulknerLion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner 1926-1962, p. 55
    #reading#habit#persistence

  8. You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.

    William FaulknerThe Mansion
    #courage#exploration#change

  9. Between grief and nothing I will take grief.

    William FaulknerThe Wild Palms, 1939
    #grief#acceptance#existence

  10. It’s hard to understand other people, to know what’s hidden in their hearts, and without the assistance of alcohol it might never be done at all.

    William FaulknerAbsalom, Absalom!, 1936
    #understanding#emotions#barriers

  11. Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed.

    William FaulknerI Decline to Accept the End of Man Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1950
    #voice#honesty#justice