Quote by William Faulkner, speech at the
I decline to accept the end of man. It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last dingdong of doom has clanged and faded from the last worthless rock hanging tideless in the last red and dying evening, that even then there will still be one more sound: that of his puny inexhaustible voice, still talking. I refuse to accept this. I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.http://nobelprize.org/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-speech.html
Summary
In this quote, William Faulkner expresses his refusal to accept the idea that mankind will ultimately come to an end. He rejects the notion that human existence is solely defined by its ability to endure and survive, arguing instead that mankind will not only persist but also thrive. Faulkner believes that humans possess an immortal essence not because of their mere ability to speak indefinitely, but because their spirits are capable of compassion, sacrifice, and endurance. He sees it as the duty of poets and writers to write about these qualities and uplift humanity, serving as pillars of support to help mankind persevere and succeed.
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