The athlete knows the day will never come when he wakes up pain-free. He has to play hurt.

Fear doesn't go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.

Fear doesn't go away. The battle must be fought anew every day.

Resistance is implacable, intractable, indefatigable.

Art is a war - between ourselves and the forces of self-sabotage that would stop us from doing our work. The artist is a warrior.

Making a judgment, taking a stand and then acting against an injustice or acting to support excellence is the stuff of the everyman hero. If you are an aspiring artist and you wish to avoid “judgments,” you'll find that you have nothing to say.

I wrote in the War of Art that I could divide my life neatly into two parts: before turning pro and after. After is better.