Quote

"If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you." -The Gospel of Thomas

I heard this quote yesterday evening on NPR and it was new to me despite being familiar with much of scripture (though this is from a non-canonical text, and there is a lot of apocryphal, etc. stuff that I haven't read). I was drawn to this quote, and grateful that I'd turned the car radio on right before it was read aloud. It wouldn't have reached me through the speakers if I'd been just a minute too late. The words are applicable to a wide range of matters, but I'm thinking now as it relates to creativity. From what I gathered from the tail end of the NPR broadcast, the idea that it is greater torture for the artist to express himself is inaccurate; the true tragedy is holding inside what is meant to come out. At least, the person being interviewed believed that. And I'm inclined to agree.