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.
Then she told me why a tiger is gold and black. It has two ways. The gold side leaps with its fierce heart. The black side stands still with cunning, hiding its gold between the trees, seeing and not being seen, waiting patiently for things to come. I did not learn to use my black side until after the bad man left me.
Don't be swayed by the false values and goals of this world, but put Christ and his will first in everything you do.
When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive knowledge.
Once, in a spasm of sappiness, you asked Q-Jo if she thought your dreams would ever come true. 'You aren't talking about dreams,' she corrected you, 'you're referring to your pathetic bourgeoisie ambitions. Dreams don't come true. Dreams are true.
I have ever deemed it more honorable and more profitable, too, to set a good example than to follow a bad one.
It's hard to decide who's truly brilliant; it's easier to see who's driven, which in the long run may be more important.
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