When I have one martini, I feel bigger, wiser, taller. When I have a second, I feel superlative. When I have more, there's no holding me.
William FaulknerRead
We cannot choose freedom established on a hierarchy of degrees of freedom, on a caste system of equality like military rank. We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True freedom cannot be hierarchical or conditional; it must be actively practiced.
In this quote, Faulkner emphasizes that genuine freedom is not based on social or hierarchical structures that dictate levels of equality, nor is it merely claimed without action. Instead, he advocates for the idea that freedom should be a practice that everyone engages in, suggesting that to truly be free, individuals must actively embody and enact their freedom in everyday life.
Themes
FreedomEqualityPracticeHierarchyPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech on civil rights to underline the essence of active participation in freedom.
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Ever since then I have believed that God is not only a gentleman and a sport; he is a Kentuckian too.
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