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.
Ray BradburyRead
I think a lot of writers spend years just getting up the courage to write because it seems like such a fantasy of a profession. My dad saved me all that time by making me think, 'Oh, anyone can be a writer. It's like being a firefighter or a lawyer.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how encouragement can simplify the pursuit of becoming a writer.
B. J. Novak discusses how the perception of writing as a lofty and unattainable goal can deter aspiring writers. However, his father's perspective—that writing is as accessible as other professions—empowered him to pursue his passion without unnecessary fear. This insight highlights the importance of encouragement and the belief that creative professions are within reach for anyone.
Themes
WritingCourageProfessionEncouragementPassion
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speech encouraging students to pursue writing as a career.
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To read in the Bible, as the word of God himself, that "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, ["] and to preach there-from that, "In the sweat of other mans faces shalt thou eat bread," to my mind can scarcely be reconciled with honest sincerity.
Abraham LincolnRead
But knowing what I don’t want to do doesn’t help me figure out what I do want to do. I could do just about anything if somebody made me. But I don’t have an image of the one thing I really want to do. That’s my problem now. I can’t find the image.
Haruki MurakamiRead
We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it.
C. S. LewisRead
No thought, no reflection, no analysis, no cultivation, no intention; let it settle itself.
TilopaRead