Campbell wants you to be a hero

Joseph Campbell was a student of stories that never die: myths, fables, and religious allegories. George Lucas closely followed Campbell's hero's journey structure when writing Star Wars. Here are 9 profound ideas from Campbell on following your bliss, the goal of life, and more:

Campbell on why myth matters more than academic history: "Myth is much more important and true than history. History is just journalism and you know how reliable that is." If a certain story feels resonant and interesting across generations, it contains archetypal truth within it

Make this the aim of your days: "The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature." Sync with the world outside, but never let go of your soul inside. A goal that is as difficult and paradoxical as it is worthwhile...

Your "what" matters more than your "how fast." As Campbell put it: "There is perhaps nothing worse than reaching the top of the ladder and discovering that you’re on the wrong wall." Think long and hard about what goals you want to pursue.

A lesson in persuasion: "Preachers err by trying to talk people into belief; better they reveal the radiance of their own discovery." Instead of selling an idea, simply describe its effect on your own self in the most powerful words you can muster.

He who controls language, controls the future: "If you want to change the world, you have to change the metaphor." People think in metaphors; they understand "A" by comparing it to some "B." New comparisons create new thoughts, and new thoughts can't help but create a new world.

The difference between too crazy and just crazy enough: "The psychotic drowns in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight." Even the truth itself needs to be taken lightly. Wisdom is knowing there can be too much of a good thing. Swim, don't drown.

Joseph Campbell told his students: "Follow your bliss." What he meant: Do the thing that suits your truest nature. What they understood: Stuff your days with stimulating but shallow fun. With a bitter sense of humor in old age, he revised his advice: "Follow your blisters."

Suppressing a feeling that causes short-term discomfort is to cause yourself long-term harm. Going inward, you will meet everything and everyone you suppressed: "Gods suppressed become devils, and often it is these devils whom we first encounter when we turn inward."

Joseph Campbell on the value of the hero's journey: "We have not even to risk the adventure alone for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known...We have only to follow the thread of the hero path."