04/03/2023
“We must embrace struggle. Every living thing conforms to it. Everything in nature grows and struggles in its own way, establishing its own identity, insisting on it at all cost, against all resistance.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
"Letters to a Young Poet" is a collection of ten letters written by Rainer Maria Rilke to a young aspiring poet named Franz Xaver Kappus between 1903 and 1908. The letters offer advice on creativity, personal growth, and the nature of art, and have become widely regarded as a classic of literary criticism and philosophy.
In the letters, Rilke encourages Kappus to focus on the inner workings of his own creativity, rather than external validation or criticism. He urges him to embrace solitude, to seek out experiences that inspire him, and to develop a deep understanding of his own feelings and emotions. Rilke also emphasizes the importance of patience, perseverance, and the ability to endure hardship as necessary elements of the creative process.