I feel I'm doing what I should've done a lifetime ago. For a little while I'm not afraid. Maybe it's because I'm doing the right thing at last. Maybe it's because I've done a rash thing and don't want to look the coward to you.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the relief and courage felt when finally pursuing one's true purpose, despite fears of judgment.
In this quote, Ray Bradbury expresses a profound sense of fulfillment and liberation that comes from finally engaging in what he believes is his rightful path. The feeling of not being afraid, even if temporary, suggests that embracing one's true calling can overshadow anxiety and doubts, while also hinting at the internal conflict of seeking approval from others. The acknowledgment of possibly having acted rashly hints at the complexity of decision-making and the human tendency to seek validation, illustrating that personal truth may sometimes go against social expectations.
In practice
This quote could be used in a motivational speech about pursuing dreams.
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.
Throughout our lives, God's grace bestows temporal blessings and spiritual gifts that magnify our abilities and enrich our lives. His grace refines us. His grace helps us become our best selves.
People with the best intentions will often give you advice on why you shouldn’t take a risk because of what could happen. While some of what they say may be true, you should never allow them to get their negative anchors into your mind because, like them, you too will begin to sink. Next time this happens, throw them a life-line, and ask them what is good about their situation.
I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth - and truth rewarded me.
'Think simple' as my old master used to say - meaning reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principles.
Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. Our fires are damped, our drafts are checked. We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources.
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.
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