Of any activity you do, ask yourself: If I were the last person on earth, would I still do it?

If you're are paralyzed with fear it's a good sign. It shows you what you have to do.

The more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul.

It can pay off, being a hack. Given the depraved state of American culture, a slick dude can make millions being a hack. But even if you succeed, you lose, because you’ve sold out your Muse, and your Muse is you, the best part of yourself, where your finest and only true work comes from.

A horse must be a bit mad to be a good cavalry mount, and its rider must be completely so.

This man has conquered the world! What have you done?" The philosopher replied without an instant's hesitation, "I have conquered the need to conquer the world.

Writers think in metaphors. Editors work in metaphors. A great reader reads in metaphors.