In a hurry? TL;DR
- 1Aim beyond your perceived capabilities to foster continuous personal growth and avoid stagnation.
- 2Measure your progress against your past self, not against others' achievements or social standing.
- 3Embrace the challenge of unattainable goals; failure in striving for the impossible is a mark of greatness.
- 4Focus on self-transcendence and evolution rather than external competition or perceived limitations.
- 5Reframe success as personal evolution and progress, an infinite game of self-improvement.
- 6Prioritize internal standards and the pursuit of exceeding your own potential over external validation.
Why It Matters
This advice is surprisingly useful because it offers a powerful antidote to modern comparison culture by encouraging continuous personal growth rather than focusing on external validation.
William Faulkner’s directive is an argument for internal standards over external competition. It suggests that the only benchmark worth measuring is your own previous best, rather than the achievements of those around you.
Quick Answer
The quote demands that individuals stop comparing themselves to their peers and instead focus on outperforming their own past capabilities. It is a philosophy of infinite growth where the goal is self-transcendence rather than social rank.
- Target: Aim beyond your perceived limits to avoid stagnation.
- Comparison: Disregard the success of contemporaries as a metric for your own value.
- Focus: The only relevant competition is the person you were yesterday.
- Ambition: Success is defined by the gap between your previous self and your current self.
Why It Matters
In an era of hyper-visible social proof, Faulkner’s advice acts as a necessary corrective to the anxiety of constant comparison.
The Architecture of Self-Competition
William Faulkner, the Nobel Prize-winning architect of Southern Gothic literature, was no stranger to the weight of the past. He lived in the shadow of the American Civil War and the titans of European modernism. Yet, his advice to shoot higher than you know you can do was not just a motivational platitude; it was his professional methodology.
Faulkner famously believed that a writer should be judged by the splendour of their failure. To him, aiming for a reachable goal was a form of creative cowardice. If you only try to be better than your neighbour, you are limited by your neighbour’s ceiling. If you try to be better than yourself, the ceiling vanishes.
This perspective shifts the focus from winning to evolving. Unlike the zero-sum game of social status, self-improvement is an infinite game. When you compete with predecessors, you are fighting ghosts. When you compete with contemporaries, you are distracted by the present. Only by competing with yourself do you engage with the future.
About the Author
Historical Context
Faulkner frequently discussed this philosophy during his tenure as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Virginia in the late 1950s. He often told students that his own books were experiments that didn't quite work, which is why he kept writing. According to scholars at the Faulkner Society, he viewed his entire bibliography as a series of attempts to outrun his previous failures.
Practical Applications
- Focus Shift: Instead of checking LinkedIn or industry leaderboards, audit your work from twelve months ago to ensure you have progressed.
- Goal Setting: Set objectives that feel slightly unrealistic to ensure you are testing your actual capacity rather than repeating a safe performance.
- Skill Depth: Master a nuance of your craft that your peers overlook, creating a personal standard that exists independently of market trends.
Similar Perspectives
- Contrast: Theodore Roosevelt’s claim that comparison is the thief of joy focuses on happiness, whereas Faulkner focuses on excellence.
- Connection: The Japanese concept of Kaizen emphasizes continuous, incremental improvement, though lacks Faulkner’s demand for radical, high-shooting ambition.
Key Takeaways
- External Benchmarks: Other people’s success is a distraction, not a roadmap.
- The Mirror Test: Your primary rival is your own history.
- The Failure Metric: Aiming for the impossible is the only way to discover your actual limits.
Related Content
Historical Context
This quote by William Faulkner, a Nobel Prize-winning author renowned for his complex Southern Gothic literature, reflects his personal philosophy on ambition and self-improvement. Faulkner lived during a period marked by significant social and artistic change, and he often grappled with the legacy of the past, both personally and within his writing. His advice here is not simply a motivational statement but rather a deep insight into his approach to creative endeavour, advocating for internal benchmarks over external competition, which was particularly pertinent in a literary world often consumed by comparisons between authors.
Meaning & Interpretation
Faulkner urges individuals to set exceptionally high goals for themselves, encouraging them to aspire to achievements that might initially seem beyond their current capabilities. He dismisses the conventional idea of measuring one's success against others – be they peers or historical figures – as ultimately unproductive. Instead, the core message is to engage in a continuous process of self-improvement, striving always to surpass one's own previous best. It's about personal growth and pushing the boundaries of one's own potential, rather than being confined by external standards or the accomplishments of others.
When to Use This Quote
This quote is highly relevant in contexts where individuals are prone to comparisonitis, feeling inadequate due to the perceived successes of friends, colleagues, or public figures, particularly prevalent in today's social media-driven landscape. It's also applicable in creative fields where artists often measure themselves against acclaimed predecessors or contemporary peers, and for anyone aiming for personal or professional development where self-doubt or external pressures to conform might hinder progress. Use it to encourage a mindset of internal growth, resilience, and ambition that transcends competitive rivalry and focuses purely on self-betterment.
