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... when she became not then half of memory became not and if I become not then all of remembering will cease to be.—Yes, he thought, between grief and nothing I will take grief.

— William Faulkner The Wild Palms [If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem (1939)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Common variation: "Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain."

More quotes by William Faulkner

Clocks slay time. ... Time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life.

The Sound and the Fury (1929)

Even a liar can be scared into telling the truth, same as an honest man can be tortured into telling a lie.

Light in August (1932)

The past is never dead. It's not even past.

Requiem for a Nun (1951)

When people act like niggers, no matter who they are, the only thing to do is treat them like a nigger.

The Sound and the Fury (1929)

People to whom sin is just a matter of words, to them salvation is just words too.

As I Lay Dying (1930)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: William Faulkner (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.