Find the quotient when $x^5 + 7$ is divided by $x + 1.$
We can perform long division.  We can also write
\begin{align*}
\frac{x^5 + 7}{x + 1} &= \frac{(x^5 + 1) + 6}{x + 1} \\
&= \frac{x^5 + 1}{x + 1} + \frac{6}{x + 1} \\
&= x^4 - x^3 + x^2 - x + 1 + \frac{6}{x - 1}.
\end{align*}Thus, the quotient is $\boxed{x^4 - x^3 + x^2 - x + 1}.$