I believe in previous lives and the Muse—and that books and music exist before they are written and that they are propelled into material being by their own imperative to be born, via the offices of those willing servants of discipline, imagination and inspiration whom we call artists.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the idea that creativity and artistic expression transcend time and are inspired by an unseen force known as the Muse.
In this quote, Steven Pressfield suggests that art does not originate solely from the artist's mind; rather, it exists in a realm beyond our current reality, waiting to be brought into existence. He emphasizes the role of 'willing servants of discipline, imagination, and inspiration'—the artists—who harness this creative energy and give it tangible form through their work. This perspective invites us to think of artistic creation as a collaborative journey between the artist and an otherworldly source of creative inspiration.
In practice
Using this quote in a speech about the importance of artistic expression and creativity.
Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn't write, a painter who doesn't paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is.
It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior's life.
The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.
When we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen... Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces our purpose.
You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study... Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I'll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.
It’s better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.
Art is a guarantee of sanity. That is the most important thing I have_x000D_ said.
The writer must be universal in sympathy and an outcast by nature: only then can he see clearly.
People are always asking me what my lyrics mean. Does it mean this, does it mean that, that's all anybody wants to know. F**k them, darling. I say what any decent poet would say if you dared ask him to analyze his work: If you see it, dear, then it's there. ... I think my melodies are superior to my lyrics. ... I was never too keen on the British music press. They've called us a supermarket hype, and they used to suggest that we didn't write our own songs.
The passion for art is, as for believers, very religious. It unites people, its message is of common humanity. Art has become my religion - others pray in church. It's a banality, but you don't possess art, it possesses you. It's like falling in love.
The informing idea of what you want to say and do, that's what will take you from film school to professional - the idea. That's what is original to you.
Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world.
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