A writer must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid. - William Faulkner

a fellow is more afraid of the trouble he might have than he ever is of the trouble he's already got. He'll cling to trouble he's used to before he'll risk a change. Yes. A man will talk about how he'd like to escape from living folks. But it's the dead folks that do him the damage. It's the dead ones that lay quiet in one place and dont try to hold him, that he cant escape from.

any live man is better than any dead man but no live or dead man is very much better than any other live or dead man

I suppose that people, using themselves and each other so much by words, are at least consistent in attributing wisdom to a still tongue...