Steven Pressfield (born September 1943) is an American author of historical fiction, non-fiction, and screenplays.
In my experience, depth of work consists of two components. The first is recklessness; the second is discipline. Dionysian; Apollonian. Passion;reason.
The artist cannot look to others to validate his efforts or his calling. If you don't believe me, ask Van Gogh, who produced masterpiece after masterpiece and never found a buyer in his whole life.
Our greatest battle is to become ourselves, in the face of adversity.
It may be that the human race is not ready for freedom. The air of liberty may be too rarefied for us to breathe. . . The paradox seems to be, as Socrates demonstrated long ago, that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them.
It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior's life.
A writer writes with his genius; an artist paints with hers; everyone who creates operates from this sacramental center.
Do you love your idea? Does it feel right on instinct? Are you willing to bleed for it?
We’re all pros already. 1) We show up every day 2) We show up no matter what 3) We stay on the job all day 4) We are committed over the long haul 5) The stakes for us are high and real 6) We accept remuneration for our labor 7) We do not overidentify with our jobs 8 ) We master the technique of our jobs 9) We have a sense of humor about our jobs 10) We receive praise or blame in the real world
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.
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.
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.
Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.
Ignorance and arrogance are the artist's and entrepreneur's indispensable allies. She must be clueless enough to have no idea how difficult her enterprise is going to be and cocky enough to believe she can pull it off anyway. "
We fear discovering that we are more than we think we are. . . That we actually have the guts, the perserverance, the capacity. . . because, if it's true, then we become estranged from all we know.
Start before you’re ready. Good things happen when we start before we’re ready.
The athlete knows the day will never come when he wakes up pain-free. He has to play hurt.
No matter how great a writer, artist, or entrepreneur, he is a mortal, he is fallible. He is not proof against Resistance. He will drop the ball; he will crash. That’s why they call it rewriting.
The professional loves her work. She is invested in it wholeheartedly. But she does not forget that the work is not her.
Sometimes, when we're terrified of embracing our true calling, we'll pursue a shadow calling instead. That shadow career is a metaphor for our real career. Its shape is similar, its contours feel tantalizingly the same. But a shadow career entails no real risk. If we fail at a shadow career, the consequences are meaningless to us. Are you pursuing a shadow career?
Next morning I went over to Paul’s for coffee and told him I had finished. “Good for you,” he said without looking up. “Start the next one today.