The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.
Interpretation
Embracing fear is essential for growth and achievement.
This quote emphasizes that fear is an inherent part of any challenging endeavor, whether in art or other professions. Instead of waiting to eliminate fear, successful individuals learn to acknowledge and work alongside it, recognizing that courage isn’t the absence of fear but the determination to act despite it.
In practice
In a motivational speech, one might say, 'Remember, as Steven Pressfield reminds us, embracing your fear is key to unlocking your true potential.'
Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn't write, a painter who doesn't paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is.
It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior's life.
When we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen... Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces our purpose.
You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study... Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I'll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.
It’s better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.
Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul's evolution, the Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.
Athletes need to enjoy their training. They don't enjoy going down to the track with a coach making them do repetitions until they're exhausted. From enjoyment comes the will to win.
Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.
Whatever one man is capable of imagining, other men will prove themselves capable of realizing.
Optimism is a perfectly legitimate response to failure.
I want to be around people that do things. I don't want to be around people anymore that judge or talk about what people do. I want to be around people who dream and support and do things.
Even when you're 50, you can make the effort to improve your standards.
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