I Will Face God and Walk Backwards Into Hell

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Patrick Fenelon @Patrick_Fenelon I will never call it "X". I will face god & walk backwards into hell before calling it that cat with confusing auras @Cat_Auras Dec 12, 2023 When was the last time you called X, "Twitter"? It's ok, you can be honest. X 9:51 PM ⚫ Dec 12, 2023 4,161 Views

zerofarad Follow ... what it means to face God and walk backwards into Hell (since less internet-fluent people keep asking me) As with much of poetic/literary language, every reader can have a different take. Mine is like this: To face God and walk backwards into hell is not to turn from God and reject his authority, but to acknowledge his rules and do the opposite anyway. To be specifically contrary in the full awareness that it hurts yourself at least as much as him. In an older idiom, "to cut off your nose to spite your face". As a threat, then, it says "This is my line. If you cross it, I will stop at nothing, I will become an evil-maximizing lago and reject all good. Do not push me there."

astraltrickster Follow new game: "classic or shitpost?" in which we give you a raw-ass quote and you have to determine whether it came from an internet shitpost or classic literature vexwerewolf Follow But "I will face god and walk backwards into hell" IS a dril tweet wint @dril Follow IF THE ZOO BANS ME FOR HOLLERING AT THE ANIMALS I WILL FACE GOD AND WALK BACKWARDS INTO HELL RETWEETS 4,523 LIKES 5,892 2:46 PM - 22 May 2012 17

ghostface uncle @dril IF THE ZOO BANS ME FOR HOLLERING AT THE ANIMALS I WILL FACE GOD AND WALK BACKWARDS INTO HELL 5:46 PM May 22, 2012

lizawithazed: danishprince: a game called "hamlet, kanye west, or dril" in which you are quote without context and subsequently must determine whether or not it originates from shakespeare's extremely well-known tragedy hamlet, highly influential rapper/fashion mogul kanye west, or noted Weird Twitter account dril. it may sound easy but i have a feeling it'd be at least given a a little bit harder than it sounds if you think this is easy, please remember drill said "I will face god and walk backwards into hell" Kanye West said "Nothing in life is promised except death" and Hamlet said "Words! Words. WORDS." Reblogged 11 months ago from majestic-seagull (originally from danishprince) 219,450 notes

IF THE ZOO BANS ME FOR HOLLERING AT THE ANIMALS 1 IWILL FACE GOD AND WALK BACKWARDS INTO HELL cdril

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About

I Will Face God and Walk Backwards Into Hell is a quote from a dril tweet that has long been celebrated as a powerful catchphrase, despite coming from a comedic tweet. Since the original post to Twitter / X in mid-2012, the quote has been used in numerous memes in addition to becoming a phrasal template in which the first part of the statement is changed.

Origin

On May 22nd, 2012, dril^[1] tweeted, "IF THE ZOO BANS ME FOR HOLLERING AT THE ANIMALS I WILL FACE GOD AND WALK BACKWARDS INTO HELL," gaining over 36,000 retweets and 81,000 likes in 12 years (shown below).

Spread

Over the following decade, the phrase "I will face God and walk backwards into hell" was used in numerous snowclones. On October 23rd, 2014, Twitter user @Cam_Oflage^[2] posted a parody combining the tweet with Paradise Lost, gaining seven retweets and 35 likes in 10 years (shown below, left).

On November 9th, 2018, Twitter user @vageege^[3] used it in a tweet discussing My Hero Academia, gaining over 40 retweets and 150 likes in six years (shown below, right).

Coconut Tree Faller Outer Ofer @Cam_Oflage ... "IF THE GARDEN OF EDEN BANS ME FOR HOLLERING AT THE HUMANS I WILL FACE GOD AND WALK BACKWARDS INTO HELL" -Paradise Lost by John Drilton 3:56 PM Oct 23, 2014

STARMAP @vageege the second all might dies I'm genuinely gonna be like "wow can't believe bnha ended on the chapter before this, what a great story that was, crazy that it's over now" and then I will drop bnha, face god, and walk backwards into hell 1:09 PM Nov 9, 2018 .

The tweet has also become widely celebrated as a powerful phrase, regardless of its humorous context. For example, on April 17th, 2018, Tumblr user zerofarad^[5] attempted to explain the line's power, writing:

To face God and walk backwards into hell is not to turn from God and reject his authority, but to acknowledge his rules and do the opposite anyway. To be specifically contrary in the full awareness that it hurts yourself at least as much as him. In an older idiom, "to cut off your nose to spite your face."

The post gained over 5,000 notes in six years (shown below).

On March 29th, 2023, Tumblr user vexwerewolf^[4] pointed out that while many lines the site likes to quote come from literature, "I will face God and walk backwards into hell" comes from Dril. The post gained over 73,000 notes in one year (portion shown below).