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 must ask for what you really want.
Wounds are the means through which we enter the hearts of other people. They are meant to teach us to become compassionate and wise.
Self-will in the man who does not reckon wisely is by itself the weakest of all things.
In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.
Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that they force us to think.
I don't know if I continue, even today, always liking myself. But what I learned to do many years ago was to forgive myself. It is very important for every human being to forgive herself or himself because if you live, you will make mistakes - it is inevitable. But once you do and you see the mistake, then you forgive yourself and say, 'Well, if I'd known better I'd have done better,' that's all.
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