Who really said it
This is the end of The Unnamable in Beckett’s own English version, published in 1958. It is the novel’s speaking voice, not a biographical remark; the English ending also revises the earlier French text.
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
For presentations
Verified quote & credit
“I can't go on, I'll go on” Samuel Beckett, The Unnamable, his English self-translation (1958), ending; words of the novel’s voice, not a personal interview remark.
Can you use it?
Still under copyright (rights held by Samuel Beckett’s estate / Grove Press and the relevant English publishers). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.
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In context
Evoking the world of Samuel Beckett — Irish novelist and playwright. Theme: "I can't go on, I'll go on". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "I can't go on, I'll go on". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Provenance
I can't go on, I'll go on.
Publisher’s quotationHow we verified this
These are words from Beckett’s 1958 English self-translation of a modern novel. Both the original and this English version are treated as in copyright; only the short ending is reproduced for identification and discussion.
Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.
Context
The novel is carried by an unstable speaking voice that tries to account for itself and cannot finish doing so. Its ending holds inability and continuation together; Trinity scholarship notes that Beckett introduced the crucial inability clause while remaking the French text in English.
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More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
Go further
Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.
Faber explicitly prints the exact short quotation and identifies it as the ending of The Unnamable.
Wikiquote reproduces the ending in its section on The Unnamable; its heading date is not used here as the English publication date.
Sam Slote explains that Beckett added the I can’t go on clause in English and later amended the French ending.
The novel reference distinguishes the French publication in 1953 from Beckett’s English self-translation published by Grove in 1958.
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The author
For writers & researchers
Beckett, Samuel. The Unnamable. Translated from the French by the author. New York: Grove Press, 1958. Ending corroborated by Faber’s publisher article “Back to Beckett.”
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘I can't go on, I'll go on’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/i-cant-go-on-ill-go-on/