Autumn Quote by William Faulkner
““At first it had been a torrent; now it was a tide, with a flow and ebb. During its flood she could almost fool them both. It was as if out of her knowledge that it was just a flow that must presently react was born a wilder fury, a fierce denial that could flag itself and him into physical experimentation that transcended imagining, carried them as though by momentum alone, bearing them without volition or plan. It was as if she knew somehow that time was short, that autumn was almost upon her, without knowing yet the exact significance of autumn. It seemed to be instinct alone: instinct physical and instinctive denial of the wasted years. Then the tide would ebb. Then they would be stranded as behind a dying mistral, upon a spent and satiate beach, looking at one another like strangers, with hopeless and reproachful (on his part with weary: on hers with despairing) eyes.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Sound and the Fury, 1929
A character feels a surge of urgent, instinctive energy that drives them forward despite looming loss, mixing denial and fierce determination.
In simple terms: Instinct pushes them onward despite time running out.
Key Takeaway
Embrace urgency while acknowledging impermanence.
Themes
time
mortality
instinct
denial
urgency
Mood
melancholic
intense
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal crises
- creative projects
- relationships under strain
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
narrative tension
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “instinct” mean for you in tough decisions?
- How do you balance urgency with reflection?
A Different Perspective
The passage is dense and metaphorical, making practical application unclear.
