Letters to a Young Poet - Rainer Maria Rilke

There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple "I must," then build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse.

Rilke's ten letters have been the boundless resource of creative energy and inspiration for this blogger. In times of crisis, I often go back to these passages of Rilke, and ask myself, "Must I blog?" Then I know that I'm in blogging for the long term.