Meaning of this William Faulkner quote In a specific scene of _Requiem for a Nun_ by William Faulkner, Temple Drake states that > Temple Drake is dead. In response, Gavin, Nancy's lawyer, responds: > The past is never dead. It's not even past. What does this famous quote mean in this context?

I've never read the book, but I always assumed it meant something to the effect of "What happened to us in our past isn't gone and forgotten. It affects us all the time. It's with us in every moment."