The Town Quotes

“She was bored. She loved, had capacity to love, for love, to give and accept love. Only she tried twice and failed twice to find somebody not just strong enough to deserve it, earn it, match it, but even brave enough to accept it.”
― William Faulkner, The Town

“Innocence is innocent not because it rejects but because it accepts; is innocent not because it is impervious and invulnerable to everything, but because it is capable of accepting anything and still remaining innocent; innocent because it foreknows all and therefore doesn’t have to fear and be afraid.”
― William Faulkner, The Town

“So you see how much effort a man will make and trouble he will invent to guard and defend himself from the boredom of peace of mind. Or rather perhaps the pervert who deliberately infests himself with lice, not just for the simple pleasure of being rid of them again, since even in the folly of youth we know that nothing lasts; but because even in that folly we are afraid that maybe Nothing will last, that maybe Nothing will last forever, and anything is better than Nothing, even lice.”
― William Faulkner, The Town

“But then, poets are almost always wrong about facts. That’s because they are not really interested in facts: only in truth: which is why the truth they speak is so true that even those who hate poets by simple natural instinct are exalted and terrified by it.
No: that’s wrong. It’s because you dont dare to hope, you are afraid to hope. Not afraid of the extent of hope of which you are capable, but that you—the frail web of bone and flesh snaring that fragile temeritous boundless aspirant sleepless with dream and hope—cannot match it; as Ratliff would say, Knowing always you wont never be man enough to do the harm and damage you would do if you were just man enough.—and, he might add, or maybe I do it for him, thank God for it. Ay, thank God for it or thank anything else for it that will give you any peace after it’s too late; peace in which to coddle that frail web and its unsleeping ensnared anguish both on your knee and whisper to it: There, there, it’s all right; I know you are brave.”
― William Faulkner, The Town

“ბუნებას, ვნებათა და გულისთქმათა ქარტეხილების მოყვარულ ბუნებასაც კი წესად აქვს დადებული, რომ ყოველ ქარტეხილს, ყოველგვარ ვნებას ახალ-ახალი საზრდელი ასულდგმულებდეს. საამისოდ კი დროა საჭირო, რათა ის ახალი საზრდელი იქნეს მოწეული, რადგან იმას, იულა უორნერს, უკვე გაუჩანაგებია, შთაუნთქავს, გაუცამტვერებია, რაც რომ მის ირგვლივ იყო. და ამ დროს სულ ის მახსენდებოდა ხოლმე...ელენეებს და სემირამიდებს ცოლად არ ირთავენ, მათი გულისთვის თავს იღუპავენო მხოლოდ.”
― William Faulkner, The Town