The professional respects his craft. He does not consider himself superior to it. He recognizes the contributions of those who have gone before him. He apprentices himself to them.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of humility and respect for one's craft, acknowledging the influence of those who came before.
In this quote, Steven Pressfield conveys the notion that true professionals have a deep respect for their field and recognize that their skills are built upon the foundations laid by previous generations. By valuing their craft and remaining humble, they strive to learn continuously from the wisdom and experiences of others, thus maintaining a mindset of apprenticeship and growth.
In practice
In a speech about dedication and hard work, you can use this quote to illustrate respect for one's craft.
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.
It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior's life.
The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.
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.
You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study... Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I'll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.
Itβs better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.
To give a person an opinion one must first judge well whether that person is of the disposition to receive it or not.
We can set our deeds to the music of a grateful heart, and seek to round our lives into a hymn β the melody of which will be recognized by all who come in contact with us, and the power of which shall not be evanescent, like the voice of the singer, but perennial, like the music of the spheres.
Don't ever become a pessimist... a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun, and neither can stop the march of events.
Your job isn't to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up.
I can tell you, honest friend, what to believe: believe life; it teaches better that book or orator.
One is seduced and battered in turn. The result is presumably wisdom. Wisdom! We are clinging to life like lizards. Why is it so difficult to assemble those things that really matter in life and to dwell among them only? I am referring to certain landscapes, persons, beasts, books, rooms, meteorological conditions, fruits. In fact, I insist on it. A letter is like a poem, it leaps into life and shows very clearly the marks, perhaps I should say thumbprints, of an unwilling or unready composer.
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