Do You Have the Courage?

Poet Jack Gilbert (1925-2012) was known for distancing himself from the media and from his fame. “Fame is a lot of fun, but it’s not interesting. I loved being noticed and praised, even the banquets. But they didn’t have anything that I wanted. After about six months, I found it boring. There were so many things to do, to live. I didn’t want to be praised all the time — I liked the idea, but I didn’t invest much in it.” Jack Gilbert was clearly more focused on his work (and sharing what was inside him with the world) than in any recognition. I recently stumbled upon this powerful quote from Jack Gilbert, which is a question he used to ask students who were interested in being writers (and it applies to all of us): “Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say YES.” There are treasures hidden inside of you in many forms. The question is not whether you have them, but whether you have the courage to share them with the world? Well!?

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