Would I Still Do It?

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

If you’re all alone on the planet, a hierarchical orientation makes no sense. There’s no one to impress. So, if you’d still pursue that activity, congratulations… If Arnold Schwarzenegger were the last man on earth, he’d still go the gym. Stevie Wonder would still pound the piano. The sustenance they get comes from the act itself, not from the impression it makes on others….

If we were the last person on earth, would we still show up at the studio, the rehearsal hall, the laboratory?”

- Steven Pressfield, The War of Art (p158-159)