--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At first it had been a torrent; now it…" description: "\"“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 know..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/william-faulkner-306_autumn_at-first-it-had-been-a-torrent-now-it-wa_745366.png" --- # At first it had been a torrent; now it was a tide, with a… ![“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…” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/william-faulkner-306_autumn_at-first-it-had-been-a-torrent-now-it-wa_745366.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/william-faulkner-306_autumn_at-first-it-had-been-a-torrent-now-it-wa_745366.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/william-faulkner-306_autumn_at-first-it-had-been-a-torrent-now-it-wa_745366.png) > ““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.”” [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 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autumn/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [“The tide was still on the ebb in that complex swell and fall of water against land, as though a great heart in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/the-tide-was-still-on-the-ebb-in-that-complex-swell-and-fall-of-water/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [People can't die, along the coast," said Mr. Peggotty, "except when the tide's pretty nigh out. They can't be born, unless it's pretty nigh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/people-can-t-die-along-the-coast-said-mr-peggotty-except-when-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [. . . in the full tide of successful experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-the-full-tide-of-successful-experiment/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Con Air' and all these movies were what made me want to get into film and if 'Crimson Tide' is on the television, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-balfe/con-air-and-all-these-movies-were-what-made-me-want-to-get-into-film/) [Lorne Balfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-balfe/) > [There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/there-is-no-drop-of-water-in-the-ocean-not-even-in-the-deepest-parts/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [I think the relentless tide of celebrity stuff on the telly is getting pretty tedious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-tarrant/i-think-the-relentless-tide-of-celebrity-stuff-on-the-telly-is/) [Chris Tarrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-tarrant/) > [If Punjab could remain unaffected by the Hindutva plank and vote for development agenda, then the tide can, and will, turn in other states…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amarinder-singh/if-punjab-could-remain-unaffected-by-the-hindutva-plank-and-vote-for/) [Amarinder Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amarinder-singh/) > [Sin bins are the way forward if we want to turn the tide on discipline in football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-savage/sin-bins-are-the-way-forward-if-we-want-to-turn-the-tide-on/) [Robbie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-savage/) > [Now, I love a good factory tour. Drop me into a bottling plant, an automotive assembly line, or a jellybean factory, and I'm happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-randolph/now-i-love-a-good-factory-tour-drop-me-into-a-bottling-plant-an/) [Marc Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-randolph/) > [I'm constantly talking and texting with other NFL guys about the Tide during college football season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ingram-ii/i-m-constantly-talking-and-texting-with-other-nfl-guys-about-the-tide/) [Mark Ingram II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ingram-ii/) > [I'm old, I'm young, I'm intelligent, I'm stupid. My tide goes in and out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-beatty/i-m-old-i-m-young-i-m-intelligent-i-m-stupid-my-tide-goes-in-and-out/) [Warren Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-beatty/) > [“I am knee deep in sea water now, feeling the energy of the tidal waves as they roll inwards towards the shore. A tide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-l-marshall/i-am-knee-deep-in-sea-water-now-feeling-the-energy-of-the-tidal-waves/) [Susan L. 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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. 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Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [The American spring is by no means so agreeable as the American autumn; both move with faltering step, and slow; but this lingering pace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/the-american-spring-is-by-no-means-so-agreeable-as-the-american/) [Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/) > [“Flowers that had bloomed brilliant from spring through autumn blackened under the killing frost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/flowers-that-had-bloomed-brilliant-from-spring-through-autumn/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“FALL I've never liked orange not even a hint of yellow though that doesn't mean I'm derange, you know. but it's still a riddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kynna-claire/fall-i-ve-never-liked-orange-not-even-a-hint-of-yellow-though-that/) Kynna Claire > [The trees change their voices in autumn as well as their shapes. No longer do they whisper to one another in muffled tones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-strong/the-trees-change-their-voices-in-autumn-as-well-as-their-shapes-no/) [Patience Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-strong/) > [The measured blood beats out the year's delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/the-measured-blood-beats-out-the-year-s-delay/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-crickets-felt-it-was-their-duty-to-warn-everybody-that-summertime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-found-himself-wondering-at-times-especially-in-the-autumn-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Easter blessings All life’s sacrifices like autumn leaves awaken our senses and power to love and be whole Our Mother Earth, Our Father Sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/easter-blessings-all-life-s-sacrifices-like-autumn-leaves-awaken-our/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [The lush green of the fields became a rich gold that swayed sturdily under the wind and fell at last before the hands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ostenso/the-lush-green-of-the-fields-became-a-rich-gold-that-swayed-sturdily/) [Martha Ostenso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ostenso/) > [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. 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We must esteem them as teachers, learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/we-must-learn-to-do-economic-work-from-all-who-know-how-no-matter-who/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) [Browse all 1,210 Autumn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autumn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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. 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