Character Quote by William Faulkner
““Life is not interested in good and evil. Don Quixote was constantly choosing between good and evil, but then he was choosing in his dream state. He was mad. He entered reality only when he was so busy trying to cope with people that he had no time to distinguish between good and evil. Since people exist only in life, they must devote their time simply to being alive. Life is motion, and motion is concerned with what makes man move—which is ambition, power, pleasure. What time a man can devote to morality, he must take by force from the motion of which he is a part. He is compelled to make choices between good and evil sooner or later, because moral conscience demands that from him in order that he can live with himself tomorrow. His moral conscience is the curse he had to accept from the gods in order to gain from them the right to dream.””
About This Quote
Life forces us into motion and ambition, making moral choices inevitable; conscience is a divine burden that drives us to act.
In simple terms: Life pushes us to act; morality is a heavy gift.
Key Takeaway
Accept motion, choose wisely.
Themes
philosophy
ethics
human nature
Mood
reflective
serious
thought‑provoking
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- career decisions
- political activism
- personal relationships
- creative projects
Key Concepts
free will
moral dilemma
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- What choices define your moral path?
- How do you balance ambition with conscience?
A Different Perspective
The dense language may obscure practical application for everyday readers.