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At one time I thought the most important thing was talent. I think now that — the young man or the young woman must possess or teach himself, train h… - William Faulkner
" "At one time I thought the most important thing was talent. I think now that — the young man or the young woman must possess or teach himself, train himself, in infinite patience, which is to try and to try and to try until it comes right. He must train himself in ruthless intolerance. That is, to throw away anything that is false no matter how much he might love that page or that paragraph. The most important thing is insight, that is ... curiosity to wonder, to mull, and to muse why it is that man does what he does. And if you have that, then I don't think the talent makes much difference, whether you've got that or not.
[Press conference, University of Virginia, May 20, 1957]
trial-and-error
creative-writing
talent
training
advice
craftsmanship
writing
craft
learning-by-doing
writing-process
English
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About William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American novelist and short story writer whose works feature his native state of Mississippi. He was regarded as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century and was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Biography information from Wikiquote
Also Known As
Birth Name:
William Cuthbert Falkner
Native Name:
William Cuthbert Faulkner
Alternative Names:
William Falkner
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Additional quotes by William Faulkner
Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only the question: When will I be blown up? Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat....
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