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
A writer must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fear is the lowest form of existence, and one must overcome it to succeed as a writer.
In this quote, William Faulkner emphasizes the importance of overcoming fear in the creative process. He suggests that fear, particularly for a writer, is an obstacle that can hinder growth and expression. By teaching oneself to rise above fear, a writer can tap into deeper creativity and authenticity, presenting their true voice to the world. This reflection serves not just for writers but for anyone pursuing their passion, reinforcing that fear should not dictate one's actions or aspirations.
Themes
FearWriterOvercomeCourageCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speech about pursuing dreams despite challenges.
More from William Faulkner
All quotes βI feel like a wet seed wild in the hot blind earth.
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When grown people speak of the innocence of children, they dont really know what they mean. Pressed, they will go a step further and say, Well, ignorance then. The child is neither. There is no crime which a boy of eleven had not envisaged long ago. His only innocence is, he may not be old enough to desire the fruits of it...his ignorance is, he does not know how to commit it...
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Maybe times are never strange to women: it is just one continuous monotonous thing full of the repeated follies of their menfolks.
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He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that any more than for pride or fear....One day I was talking to Cora. She prayed for me because she believed I was blind to sin, wanting me to kneel and pray too, because people to whom sin is just a matter of words, to them salvation is just words too.
William FaulknerRead
Ever since then I have believed that God is not only a gentleman and a sport; he is a Kentuckian too.
William FaulknerRead
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