On Success and the “Prize.”
“There is no prize.” I love that quote. I really believe it. In an interview with a student, Kevin Spacey talks about being successful. Here are my favorite quotes:
“Could you talk a bit about the early process? How can we help us appreciate this early experience, these lean years, these very difficult years leading up to the ultimate prize?”
“There is no prize out there. The only prize is this one [gestures to himself], and what you feel and what you want to accomplish.”
“To want, and to be ambitious, and to want to be successful, is not enough. That’s just desire. To know what you want, to understand why you’re doing it, to dedicate every breath in your body to achieve. If you feel you have something to give, if you feel your particularly talent is worth developing, is worth caring for…”
I really like the idea of developing and caring for one’s talent. And that there is no prize, because really, I don’t believe there is. It’s like saying Christmas is about opening presents. It’s not; it’s about giving. That’s why I write: I want to make people feel loved and accepted, even if for only a moment.
Thoughts? Why do you write?
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Natasha Fondren is a writer traveling the U.S. in a camper with her four cats. She is currently enjoying the lizards and desert heat in Arizona.
That’s a great video. Love what he says. And what you say.
I’ve thought about what I want readers to experience as they read my books. It’s for them to enjoy what I write, to forget the world for a short time, and when they end the book to feel a warm glow.
I just read a great book that made me feel that way. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I’ve re-read the last chapter a half dozen times. It’s one of those scenes you don’t want to let go. I’d love for something I’ve written to be like that.
Wonderful. Words for me to live by, I think.
For a second there, when he leaned forward, I thought he was going to say, “There is no Keyser Söze.”
I adore Kevin Spacey. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh Natasha! I LOVE this. It is such a helpful and centering message in our culture where achievement, money, status, and other “prizes” seem to be our driving goals. I love Kevin Spacey!
I too like the point that there is no prise. I essentialy told my son much the same thing a few years ago when he was wondering about the “purpose” of things. I told him the only purporse was what was inside, what he wanted and what gave him a sense of fulfillment.
I write to ignite the imagination, I think, both my own and the readers’
I love Charle’s message to his son. Well said!
Kevin Spacey is so cool. I’ve never done anything for “a prize”, but that’s not to say I don’t like personal affirmation. That’s particularly true in comedy! There’s nothing as horrible as silence after a joke, particularly when you’re chuckling at your own cleverness. (Yes. That’s me.) I write because I love it, but I love people’s reactions, too. So, it’s not all internal for me.
I loved Kevin Spacey before…now I love him even more.
Yes its all about giving and i love you.
I write with the purpose of igniting the pages with my inner imagination. Without writing as an outlet I think I might explode.
My hope, too, is that when my published work is read, the reader will sit back and say, “Wow, that was really well done,” because if that’s the impact my work leaves, then it will forever be remembered, I believe.
Great video. Thanx for sharing. I write because I want other people to enjoy reading my stuff as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sure writing is hard, but very satisfying.
You guys are awesome! I love it!