The War of Art is an inspiration. Below are my underlines from the book’s 165 pages:
Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it – p. 12
When a writer begins to overcome her Resistance – in other words, when she actually begins to write – she may find that those close to her begin acting strange… The awakening writer’s success becomes a reproach to them. If she can beat these demons, why can’t they? – p. 19
We unplug ourselves from the grid by recognizing that we will never cure our restlessness by contributing our disposable income to the bottom line of Bullshit, Inc., but only by doing our work – p. 32
The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death – p. 39
If you didn’t love the project that is terrifying you, you wouldn’t feel anything. The opposite of love isn’t hate – it’s indifference – p. 42
It’s commonplace among artists and children at play that they’re not aware of time or solitude while they’re chasing their vision. The hours fly by – p. 45
The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full time. That’s what I mean when I say turning pro – p. 63
The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation – p.68
That was when I realized I had become a pro. I had not yet had a success. But I had had a real failure – p.72
He knows if he caves in today, no matter how plausible the pretext, he’ll be twice as likely to cave in tomorrow – p.80
An amateur lets the negative opinion of others unman him. He takes external criticism to heart, allowing it to trump his own belief in himself and his work – p.91
Tomorrow morning the critic will be gone, but the writer will still be there facing the blank page – p. 92
Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying – p. 108
This is the other secret that real artists know and wannabe writers don’t. When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us. The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves – p. 108
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now.” – W. H. Murray – p. 122
The moment a person learns he’s got terminal cancer, a profound shift takes place in his psyche. At one stroke in the doctor’s office he becomes aware of what really matters to him – p. 132
We know that if we embrace our ideals, we must prove worthy of them. And that scares the hell out of us. What will become of us? We will lose our friends and family, who will no longer recognize us – p. 143
Most of us define ourselves hierarchically and don’t even know it. It’s hard not to. School, advertising, the entire materialist culture drills us from birth to define ourselves by others’ opinions. Drink this beer, get this job, look this way and everyone will love you – p. 148
When the hack sits down to work, he doesn’t ask himself what’s in his own heart. He asks what the market is looking for – p.152
Of any activity you do, ask yourself: If I were the last person on earth, would I still do it? – p. 158