“A lonely, isolated childhood isn’t a prerequisite for a writing life, of course, but it certainly helped.” – Dani Shapiro.

“[You write out of the] desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, etc., etc., etc. It is humbug to pretend this is not a motive and a strong one.” – George Orwell.

“You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better. – Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

“Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it.” ― Cal Newport, So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love

“If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are.” ― Cal Newport, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

“Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.” ― Cal Newport, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

“If you want to love what you do, abandon the passion mindset (“what can the world offer me?”) and instead adopt the craftsman mindset (“what can I offer the world?”).” ― Cal Newport, So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love