Where would you like to go, what would you really like to do with your life? See Istanbul, Port Said, Nairobi, Budapest. Write a book. Smoke too many cigarettes. Fall off a cliff but get caught in a tree halfway down. Get shot at a few times in a dark alley on a Morrocan midnight. Love a beautiful woman.
Interpretation
This quote encourages individuals to explore their true desires and aspirations in life, no matter how adventurous or unconventional they may seem.
Ray Bradbury's quote emphasizes the importance of pursuing one's true passions and experiences in life. It highlights the notion that life should be lived fully, embracing both the thrilling and the mundane, while underscoring the value of love and adventure. The diverse activities mentioned reflect a spectrum of experiences that contribute to a richly lived life, suggesting that one should not shy away from risks and profound moments of connection.
In practice
In a motivational speech at a youth conference, someone could use this quote to inspire young individuals to chase their 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.
It's the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they're gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it's my turn to leave.
Stop thinking about life and choose to live it
It just goes to show, if you try to ruin someone's life, it only gets better. You just don't get to be a part of it.
I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it.
Life and death matters, yes. And the question of how to behave in this world, how to go in the face of everything. Time is short and the water is rising.
In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn; color your hair; watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five. In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world; or you can just jump off it.
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