Friday, January 6, 2012

Believe In Yourself

"I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind." 

                          --Neil Gaiman, author of American Gods

Let's own 2012 together. Have a great weekend. :)

73 comments:

  1. Totally printing this out! Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great words from someone I'm not familiar with. Thanks for bringing this writer to my attention.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Both great quotes! Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Two wonderful pieces of wisdom. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such a nice sentiment. Thank you for sharing and being all of those things.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Neil Gaiman needs to win a Nobel Prize. This man is amazing! He is also really cool and down to earth.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice sentiments. True sentiments. So say we all!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Michael,
    I've missed you. Thanks for visiting my place. I love your posts--wonderful aspirations.
    Happy New Year!
    Love
    Valentina x

    ReplyDelete
  9. What wonderful quotes. Thanks for sharing xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderful quotes. I love Neil Gaiman. Hope 2012 is good to you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is a great way to start a Friday. I'm a fan of Neil Gaiman's. I listened to his audiobook Neverwhere 3 times. He narrates. I'll take his words to heart and appreciate that YOU posted them. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good one! And don't you just love Le Gaiman. Such a gentleman.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks Michael for this inspiring New Years message.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a wonderful message. I want to save this and share with my younger family members.
    Thanks for sharing.:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I wish all those things to. Happy Friday.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Alrighty then...this just proves I'm schizophrenic...I experience both emotions.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yep! And a brilliant 2012 to you!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh sure, let them write this blog post for you.

    I'm so disappointed I couldn't find a video of the Franzen/Chabon fight on "The Simpsons" episode "Moe'n'a Lisa" (the Wordloaf writing conference episode) because that so would have described you and me after that contest on Heather's blog. Though I couldn't decide if you would be Franzen or Chabon. That episode was on TV just the day before too so if I'd known that I would have tried videotaping it off the screen. I couldn't even find the episode on Hulu either. Damn it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. So true. Even when I try to keep myself positive, there's this quivering lump of fear inside me that I can't force to leave me alone. I think every writer has it.

    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love, love, love the quotes Michael! And the redesign! Things are looking posh around this joint!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I agree with Misha. I tend to have to tell my quivering lump to shut up. It seems to work for me. :D

    ReplyDelete
  22. did you know that AMERICAN GODS are being made into a HBO series? You have a post on it somewhere at my site :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Yipee! I'm real! Wait, that isn't so much fun.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Nice, I bought the Pressfield book on boxing day. Joe Rogan recommended it on his podcast (I know it sounds wild to some of you, but I really trust his artistic perception). He said he likes it so much that he keeps buying it because he gives it to everybody he knows.

    I like that quote, Mike. Thanks for posting it. I think this is going to make for a great reading.

    Have a great 2012 and may SLIPSTREAM become huge.

    ReplyDelete
  25. "...that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it."

    Excellent advice Michael.

    I hope you enjoy your weekend as well.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great quotes! The first one reminds me of CATCH-22 a bit where only the truly insane think they are completely sane.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Love that picture because the truth is, I am scared to death. Thanks for sharing it...

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wonderful! I needed to read that. Thanks for sharing. I'm planning to print it out, put it in a frame, and hang it by my desk.

    ReplyDelete
  29. @Cassie: Thanks for stopping by. Looking forward to your February blog fest. I had no idea who to link back to for the button so let me know if it should be linked back to your website and not the other one.

    @Stephen: You should watch "Stardust". It's a movie that will whet your appetite for Neil Gaiman.

    @Cally: Thank you Ms. Aussie.

    @Moody: Are you from Australia? Mate seems very British/Australian.

    @J.A.: You're welcome.

    @Sarah: I know. They're pretty cool huh.

    @Heather: You're welcome, even if I didn't win your contest :P

    @T.D.: The Nobel Committee doesn't look at authors who write "science-fiction". And honestly, if we're talking about a "body of work" then I think Stephen King has earned it more than Gaiman.

    @Neil Vogler: Thanks for visiting Mr. Vogler.

    @Valentina: I missed you too. I will try to check-in more. I sometimes lose bloggers in the Google Reader shuffle. Honestly, I don't know how Alex manages to comment on everyone he follows and still do a day job.

    @DRC: You're welcome.

    @Cate: I've only read one of Gaiman's works and really liked it.

    @Brinda: Thanks for the tweet shoutout.

    @Deborah Walker: I do.

    @Madeleine: You're welcome.

    @Munir: You can click on the Facebook button on the bottom and share this post with your family on Facebook.

    @Rusty: Ayep.

    @Alex: I agree.

    @Laura: Thank you.

    @Grumpy: I shall have to use my Google Foo skills and find that Simpson episode so I can see what you are talking about.

    @Misha: I think we all feel that way amirite?

    @E.J.: Thanks, man. Also thanks for clicking on "to read" for my book. It's starting to look like it is a "real" book on goodreads.

    @Cindy: You seem so full of confidence to me.

    @Tonja: Thank you.

    @Wheatgerm: First comment? I shall have to check your website out. Thanks for visiting.

    @DEZMOND: I can't wait for that HBO series. It will be exciting.

    @Alice: hahaha

    @Ben: Thanks. I'm a small press author dude...I have no delusions of grandeur. But I appreciate the well wishes.

    @Slamdunk: Yeah I like that part of Gaiman's message as well.

    @Cherie: Now that you point it out, I agree.

    @SarahFalen: You said it sista!

    @Alicia: My friend actually emailed it to me. Grumpy had it right when he called me out for being lazy and basically having others to write this post. He's smugly correct.

    @M.J.: That post yesterday about your critique group was interesting. Makes me wonder if those guys that were so brimming full of self gratification had ever read this and what they would think.

    @Angela: Thank you zombie queen.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I LOVE this quote. Love. It's going on my wall. Have a great weekend Michael!:)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Great quotes, especially the one from Gaiman. I hope all these things for you. I think it is okay to put up quotes that are meaningful to us because they might help someone else. Of course, I would say that because I do it too!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Very cool :) You always do find the most interesting things ;)

    ReplyDelete
  33. That is one hell of a call to arms! *Insert favorite action movie suiting-up montage here.*

    I'm down with kicking some ass if you are.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Fantastic, fantastic quotes. I need them right now. 2012 better be ready to get its butt kicked.

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Love Gaiman's quote. Right back at ya with his message.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Gotta love this. I haven't been feeling like much of a writer lately. Thanks for the pick-me-up!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Excellent quote. And to you as well, sir.

    ReplyDelete
  38. That's beautiful! Oh, and I love the header, by the way. Is it new? Or possibly I'm just clueless.

    ReplyDelete
  39. No, I want to own it all by myself!
    It's all mine!
    :P

    ReplyDelete
  40. Great quotes. Thanks for this.

    ReplyDelete
  41. This is awesome Michael! Made my day :)

    ReplyDelete
  42. You hit a home run with these quotes for sure... Well done, Michael.

    You have the keenest of eyes.

    We all have positive outlooks for 2012. You are on your way with the release of Slipstream in May...

    ALL THE BEST!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Neil Gaiman is wise. I enjoy his reads.

    Have a great weekend, Michael.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Love the quotes. It really rings true for me.

    ReplyDelete
  45. I've gone from scared to bold to indifferent. Need to get off that last one.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Great quotes! :) I especially like the one by Neil Gaiman.

    And nice blog look, BTW. The header is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Great quote -- I must be a writer. Well I am a journalist, it's the author that is cautious. Thanks for commenting on my blog, I appreciated it.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Neil Gaiman = best new year's wishes ever...

    ReplyDelete
  49. Great quote! I have the War of Art and it's a great little book.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Great quotes, no doubt -- you've officially made my day. Write hard, dude!

    ReplyDelete
  51. You just refreshed me in a single blog post. Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  52. Very nice post Michael. Thanks for the encouragement!

    ReplyDelete
  53. I think that the quote posted is so true. It's good to have confidence, but being scared to death shows that you've given your all!

    ReplyDelete
  54. Thanks for the warm, fuzzy weekend smile - and for the lovely comment at mine earlier. You have a fab one too
    Laura x

    ReplyDelete
  55. Awesome graphic :) I'll be printing that out to hang over my desk! 2012 is OURS.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Thanks! We're totally going to own 2012.

    ReplyDelete
  57. I'm all about owning 2012 together. One year is too much for any one person. Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  58. The Neil Gaiman one especially - what a wonderful sentiment.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Happy New Year! I love that quote!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Love the graphic! I must be a writer then because I'm terrified that my writing sucks and that I'm kidding myself and everyone else! Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  61. Passei para conhecer o seu blog,
    adorei.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Great Stephen Pressfield quote. It's like not being crazy because you worry about it. Or something like that.

    I'm a fan of that Neil Gaiman quote. I think I used a similar one from him on my blog last year.

    Happy New Year to you. This is going to be a big year for you--I can feel it.

    ReplyDelete