I read through this book daily right now in order to fight fear and resistance and to keep going. Here are some quotes from this masterpiece. You might find them interesting. I find them imperative. Thank you Stephen Pressfield for this book. Seriously, thank you.
“If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”
“Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”
“Our job in this life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”
“The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation.”
“We must do our work for its own sake, not for fortune or attention or applause.”
“Fear doesn’t go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.”
“The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome.”
“Of any activity you do, ask yourself: If I were the last person on earth, would I still do it?”
