Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.

The remark frames writing as a craft learned through voracious, indiscriminate reading and relentless practice. By urging readers to study “trash” alongside classics, Faulkner emphasizes technique over prestige: every text can teach pacing, dialogue, structure, or what to avoid. The carpenter-apprentice analogy casts authorship as apprenticeship to masters, where imitation and close observation precede originality. The final injunction—write, test the work, and discard what fails—endorses ruthless self-editing and resilience. Overall, the quote champions immersion, humility before the tradition, and a pragmatic, workmanlike approach to developing literary skill.