“The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life. Since man is mortal, the only immortality possible for him is to leave something behind him that is immortal since it will always move. This is the artist's way of scribbling ''Kilroy was here'' on the wall of the final and irrevocable oblivion through which he must someday pass.”
Cite this quote
APA
Faulkner, W. (n.d.). The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life. Since man is mortal, the only immortality possible for him is to leave something behind him that is immortal since it will always move. This is the artist's way of scribbling ''Kilroy was here'' on the wall of the final and irrevocable oblivion through which he must someday pass. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/7263-the-aim-of-every-artist-is-to-arrest/
MLA
Faulkner, William. “The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life. Since man is mortal, the only immortality possible for him is to leave something behind him that is immortal since it will always move. This is the artist's way of scribbling ''Kilroy was here'' on the wall of the final and irrevocable oblivion through which he must someday pass.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/7263-the-aim-of-every-artist-is-to-arrest/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Faulkner, William. “The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life. Since man is mortal, the only immortality possible for him is to leave something behind him that is immortal since it will always move. This is the artist's way of scribbling ''Kilroy was here'' on the wall of the final and irrevocable oblivion through which he must someday pass.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/7263-the-aim-of-every-artist-is-to-arrest/.