--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: … as though it had known to the second…" description: "\"“… as though it had known to the second when I was to enter, had waited there during that entire twelve miles behind that walking mule and watched me d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/william-faulkner-306_waited_as-though-it-had-known-to-the-second-whe_426118.jpg" --- # … as though it had known to the second when I was to… ![“… as though it had known to the second when I was to enter, had waited there during that entire twelve miles behind that walking mule and watched me draw nearer and nearer and enter the door at last as it had know (ay, decreed, since there is that justice whose Moloch’s palate-paunch makes no…” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/william-faulkner-306_waited_as-though-it-had-known-to-the-second-whe_426118.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/william-faulkner-306_waited_as-though-it-had-known-to-the-second-whe_426118.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/william-faulkner-306_waited_as-though-it-had-known-to-the-second-whe_426118.jpg) > ““… as though it had known to the second when I was to enter, had waited there during that entire twelve miles behind that walking mule and watched me draw nearer and nearer and enter the door at last as it had know (ay, decreed, since there is that justice whose Moloch’s palate-paunch makes no distinction between gristle bone and tender flesh) that I would enter — …”” [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A narrator feels a predestined, almost supernatural guidance toward a fateful encounter. **In simple terms:** Fate seems to guide actions. Key Takeaway Observe signs, but act wisely. Themes fate guidance destiny Mood thoughtful poetic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - career decisions - spiritual quests - creative inspiration - life milestones Key Concepts literary symbolism existentialism mysticism Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel guided by unseen forces? - How do you differentiate intuition from destiny? A Different Perspective Interpretations may vary; not all events are predestined. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [She smiled, if he could see that, and waited for him to ask the real question. But he was silent. 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She has always waited, letting me come to her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/she-did-not-come-to-him-however-she-has-never-come-to-me-he-tough-she/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“No one, she had learned from experience, could stand such silence for long. If you waited long enough, someone would start talking, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-one-she-had-learned-from-experience-could-stand-such-silence-for/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [I curse myself for not grabbing the right time for the thing I waited my whole life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/habeebah-kanoorbee/i-curse-myself-for-not-grabbing-the-right-time-for-the-thing-i-waited/) [Habeebah(Kanoorbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/habeebah-kanoorbee/) > [“I will always need you," I whisper. "All of this time I've waited for you. And you were never coming for me. 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Instead he bent to collect my papers before the breeze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lane/he-didn-t-touch-me-he-could-have-he-had-the-perfect-reason-to-but-he/) [Nina Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lane/) > [“I took a steadying breath. “Listen, I know we have a full night ahead of us, but I wanted to give you your birthday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-cass/i-took-a-steadying-breath-listen-i-know-we-have-a-full-night-ahead-of/) [Kiera Cass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-cass/) ## More by William Faulkner > [“The river itself is not a hundred yards across, and pa and Vernon and Vardaman and Dewey Dell are the only things in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-river-itself-is-not-a-hundred-yards-across-and-pa-and-vernon-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [The quality an artist must have is objectivity in judging his work, plus the honesty and courage not to kid himself about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-quality-an-artist-must-have-is-objectivity-in-judging-his-work/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Luster returned, wearing a stiff new straw hat with a colored band and carrying a cloth cap. The hat seemed to isolate Luster's skull,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/luster-returned-wearing-a-stiff-new-straw-hat-with-a-colored-band-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-is-easy-enough-to-say-that-man-is-immortal-simply-because-he-will/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“What matters is at the end of life, when you're about to pass into oblivion, that you've at least scratched 'Kilroy was here,' on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-matters-is-at-the-end-of-life-when-you-re-about-to-pass-into/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I've got to feel the pencil and see the words at the end of the pencil,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-ve-got-to-feel-the-pencil-and-see-the-words-at-the-end-of-the-pencil/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [And sure enough, even waiting will end...if you can just wait long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/and-sure-enough-even-waiting-will-end-if-you-can-just-wait-long-enough/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. 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If people all over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/never-be-afraid-to-raise-your-voice-for-honesty-and-truth-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/to-understand-the-world-you-must-first-understand-a-place-like/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“What modren ideas?” pap said. “I didn’t know there was but one idea about work—until it is done, it ain’t done, and when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-modren-ideas-pap-said-i-didn-t-know-there-was-but-one-idea-about/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was only as he put his hand on the door that he became aware of complete silence beyond it, a silence which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-only-as-he-put-his-hand-on-the-door-that-he-became-aware-of/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“She has no mother because fatherblood hates with love and pride, but motherblood with hate loves and cohabits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/she-has-no-mother-because-fatherblood-hates-with-love-and-pride-but/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Byron listened quietly, thinking to himself how people everywhere are about the same, but that it did seem that in a small town, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/byron-listened-quietly-thinking-to-himself-how-people-everywhere-are/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was too late. Maybe yesterday, while I was still a child, but not now. I knew too much, had seen too much, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-too-late-maybe-yesterday-while-i-was-still-a-child-but-not-now/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) [Explore all 673 William Faulkner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## More Waited quotes > [She smiled, if he could see that, and waited for him to ask the real question. But he was silent. He wanted her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/she-smiled-if-he-could-see-that-and-waited-for-him-to-ask-the-real/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [“He didn't touch me. He could have—he had the perfect reason to—but he didn't. Instead he bent to collect my papers before the breeze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lane/he-didn-t-touch-me-he-could-have-he-had-the-perfect-reason-to-but-he/) [Nina Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lane/) > [She waited for you in a thousand different ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/she-waited-for-you-in-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [Please God, please suh, don't let him love nobody else but me. 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Why did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/i-will-always-need-you-i-whisper-all-of-this-time-i-ve-waited-for-you/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [I curse myself for not grabbing the right time for the thing I waited my whole life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/habeebah-kanoorbee/i-curse-myself-for-not-grabbing-the-right-time-for-the-thing-i-waited/) [Habeebah(Kanoorbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/habeebah-kanoorbee/) > [“No one, she had learned from experience, could stand such silence for long. If you waited long enough, someone would start talking, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-one-she-had-learned-from-experience-could-stand-such-silence-for/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“She did not come to him, however. She has never come to me, he tough. 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