Before his first book sold in 1973, Stephen King had to face down fear as he began each new short story and novel. Starting something new — be it a creative project, a relationship, or a major life change — can bring up many questions and doubts. But King reminds us that new beginnings offer something else: possibility. Having published over 60 bestselling novels to date, he embodies the payoff in just starting. After all, as King says, “After that, things can only get better.”

Mark Twain delivered this sharp critique in a speech titled “Consistency” given to the Hartford Monday Evening Club (a weekly men’s discussion group) in 1887. True to form, he uses plain language and biting wit to challenge blind loyalty to outdated ideas. Throughout his life, Twain spoke out against injustice — from slavery and religious persecution to American imperialism and political corruption — urging readers to think for themselves and question the so-called truths they’d inherited. This quote captures that spirit, warning that sticking to fixed beliefs simply for the sake of tradition doesn’t move freedom or society forward. Today, Twain’s words still ring true as a call to think critically, stay curious, and develop the courage to resist the comfort of the familiar in pursuit of progress.