I had as yet no notion that life every now and then becomes literature–not for long, of course, but long enough to be what we best remember, and often enough so that what we eventually come to mean by life are those moments when life, instead of going sideways, backwards, forward, or nowhere at all, lines out straight, tense and inevitable, with a complication, climax, and, given some luck, a purgation, as if life had been made and not happened. Norman Maclean
About This Quote

William Faulkner said, "I had as yet no notion that life every now and then becomes literature—not for long, of course, but long enough to be what we best remember, and often enough so that what we eventually come to mean by life are those moments when life, instead of going sideways, backwards, forward, or nowhere at all, lines out straight, tense and inevitable, with a complication, climax, and, given some luck, a purgation, as if life had been made and not happened.” While it is true that life will sometimes become literature in our memories for a time, it is also the case that the way our lives turn out has far more to do with luck than with skill or intention.

Source: A River Runs Through It And Other Stories

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