Joseph Campbell quotes: Day 1

From Monday, December 20-Sunday, January 2, I’m going to post a Joseph Campbell quote each day at 9AM PST. Why? Because the end of the year is a time to reflect on our lives — what we do and what we hope to do, who we are and who we hope to become. And Campbell’s deep immersion into the world of stories resulted in some profound wisdom about human existence. I hope you find inspiration in Campbell’s words. Today’s quote:

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.”

Like much of what Campbell says, his words apply not only to our lives, but also to writing. This observation is as apt a description of the Protagonist metamorphosis arc as you’re likely to find. For what are most movies but stories where a Protagonist goes through a transformation, shedding their old ways of being (old skin) and becoming a New Self (new skin)?

For more on Joseph Campbell, go to the Joseph Campbell Foundation. 

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