I’m ALIVE. Thinking about it, noticing it, is new. You do things and don’t watch. Then all of a sudden you look and see what you’re doing and it’s the first time, really.
Interpretation
Being aware of your own existence and actions can bring a new perspective to life.
In this quote, Ray Bradbury emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and self-awareness. He suggests that often we go through the motions of life without truly observing or reflecting on our actions. When we finally take a moment to notice what we are doing, it can feel like a fresh experience, highlighting the beauty and significance of simply being alive.
In practice
In a motivational speech about embracing life, one could use this quote to encourage self-reflection.
I've written about 2,000 short stories; I've only published 300 and I feel I'm still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer. Ray Bradbury, 1967 interview (Doing the Math - that means for every story he sold, he wrote six "un-publishable" ones. Keep typing!)
I never went to college, so I went to the library.
There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.
I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour.
The first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it'd be better for his health.
You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.
You need not wrestle for your good. Your good flows to you most easily when you are relaxed, open, and trusting.
The non-doing of any evil,_x000D_ the performance of what's skillful,_x000D_ the cleansing of one's own mind:_x000D_ this is the teaching of the Awakened.
The more a man knows, the more willing he is to learn-the less a man knows, the more positive he is that he knows everything.
All living beings have experience of pleasure and pain, and we are among them. What makes human beings different is that we have a powerful intelligence and a much greater ability to achieve happiness and avoid suffering. Real happiness and friendship come not from money or even knowledge, but from warm-heartednes s. Once we recognize this we will be more inclined to cultivate it.
Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul's evolution, the Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.
The worst part is not in making a mistake but in trying to justify it, instead of using it as a heaven-sent warning of our mindlessness or our ignorance.
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