--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we turn pro we stop running from our…" description: "\"When we turn pro we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them.\" — Steven Pressfield" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/steven-pressfield-696_faces_when-we-turn-pro-we-stop-running-from-ou_2604881.jpg" --- # When we turn pro we stop running from our fears. We turn… ![“When we turn pro we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them.” quote by Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/steven-pressfield-696_faces_when-we-turn-pro-we-stop-running-from-ou_2604881.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/steven-pressfield-696_faces_when-we-turn-pro-we-stop-running-from-ou_2604881.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95b/steven-pressfield-696_faces_when-we-turn-pro-we-stop-running-from-ou_2604881.jpg) > “When we turn pro we stop running from our fears. We turn around and face them.” [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Turning professional means confronting fears directly rather than avoiding them. **In simple terms:** Face fears, don’t run. Key Takeaway Confront personal anxieties. Themes fear professionalism courage Mood courageous inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career transition - creative work - personal growth Key Concepts psychology self‑discipline Questions to Reflect On - What fears hold you back? - How can you practice facing them? A Different Perspective Fear can be paralyzing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fears Turn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fears-turn-1976888/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Pro Stop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pro-stop-1976889/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Running Fears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-fears-1976890/) [Stop Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-running/) [Turn Pro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-pro-1240856/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) ## Related quotes > [But I know that trying to black out my past with oblivion will just damage my future. I made the decision to stop running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/but-i-know-that-trying-to-black-out-my-past-with-oblivion-will-just/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [When we doubt, we fuel our fears which in turn, strengthens our obstacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/when-we-doubt-we-fuel-our-fears-which-in-turn-strengthens-our/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [Always chase your dreams instead of running from your fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-chase-your-dreams-instead-of-running-from-your-fears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Walking in the shadows¦ Running from my fears¦ Thinking about what I lost ¦Im blinded by my tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelfromurnightmare/walking-in-the-shadows-running-from-my-fears-thinking-about-what-i/) [Angelfromurnightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelfromurnightmare/) > [A year after I'd graduated college, I went to a weeklong conference intensive in Boston, and that's when things kicked into high gear. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-hodge/a-year-after-i-d-graduated-college-i-went-to-a-weeklong-conference/) [Brian Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-hodge/) > [When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/when-the-going-gets-weird-the-weird-turn-pro/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I almost didn't turn pro at all. I was tempted to be a career amateur. I worked as an investment banker for nine months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-kuchar/i-almost-didn-t-turn-pro-at-all-i-was-tempted-to-be-a-career-amateur/) [Matt Kuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-kuchar/) > [I wanted to turn pro at like 12 years old when I was riding for Bones Brigade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-hosoi/i-wanted-to-turn-pro-at-like-12-years-old-when-i-was-riding-for-bones/) [Christian Hosoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-hosoi/) > [It doesn't really matter who I turn pro with. What matters is where I take my tennis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-tiafoe/it-doesn-t-really-matter-who-i-turn-pro-with-what-matters-is-where-i/) [Frances Tiafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-tiafoe/) > [It is a difficult decision, either to turn pro or stay amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-degale/it-is-a-difficult-decision-either-to-turn-pro-or-stay-amateur/) [James DeGale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-degale/) > [Once you turn pro and you're making the big money and kids are buying your sneakers and your skates and your gloves and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-orr/once-you-turn-pro-and-you-re-making-the-big-money-and-kids-are-buying/) [Bobby Orr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-orr/) > [“Nobody makes a big deal out of it when baseball players turn pro right out of high school. I don’t remember an uproar when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/nobody-makes-a-big-deal-out-of-it-when-baseball-players-turn-pro/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [When I was 5 years old, hanging out with my friends who were all older than me, like 8 or 9, I was joking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-sheckler/when-i-was-5-years-old-hanging-out-with-my-friends-who-were-all-older/) [Ryan Sheckler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-sheckler/) > [I wanted to be the best in the world and at 12 years-old I won my first big amateur contest called The Gold Cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-hosoi/i-wanted-to-be-the-best-in-the-world-and-at-12-years-old-i-won-my/) [Christian Hosoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-hosoi/) > [I've got a couple of years until I turn pro so I guess within that period hopefully I'll be able to get a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-ko/i-ve-got-a-couple-of-years-until-i-turn-pro-so-i-guess-within-that/) [Lydia Ko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-ko/) ## More by Steven Pressfield > [Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/most-of-us-have-two-lives-the-life-we-live-and-the-unlived-life/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“The artist and the fundamentalist both confront the same issue, the mystery of their existence as individuals. Each asks the same questions: Who am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-artist-and-the-fundamentalist-both-confront-the-same-issue-the/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [The professional arms himself with patience, not only to give the stars time to align in his career, but to keep himself from flaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-professional-arms-himself-with-patience-not-only-to-give-the/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [The Kabbalah describes angels as bundles of light, meaning intelligence, consciousness. Kabbalists believe that above every blade of grass is an angel crying "Grow!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-kabbalah-describes-angels-as-bundles-of-light-meaning/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [To labor in the arts for any reason other than love is prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/to-labor-in-the-arts-for-any-reason-other-than-love-is-prostitution/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“that of dealing death, of loosing another man’s soul and sending it down to hell. 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Insights accrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/when-we-sit-down-each-day-and-do-our-work-power-concentrates-around/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Anything that draws attention to ourselves through pain-free or artificial means is a manifestation of Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/anything-that-draws-attention-to-ourselves-through-pain-free-or/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [The Gnostics believed that exile was the essential condition of man. Do you agree? I do. The artist and the addict both wrestle with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-gnostics-believed-that-exile-was-the-essential-condition-of-man/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The soul that rises with us, our life's star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/our-birth-is-but-a-sleep-and-a-forgetting-the-soul-that-rises-with-us/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [You are a writer when you tell yourself you are. No one else's opinion matters. Screw them. You are when you say you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-are-a-writer-when-you-tell-yourself-you-are-no-one-else-s-opinion/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“Resistance outwits the amateur with the oldest trick in the book: It uses his own enthusiasm against him. Resistance gets us to plunge into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/resistance-outwits-the-amateur-with-the-oldest-trick-in-the-book-it/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“I don't need to read nothing,' said the New Zealander. 'I was there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/i-don-t-need-to-read-nothing-said-the-new-zealander-i-was-there/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) [Explore all 404 Steven Pressfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) ## More Faces quotes > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/because-the-truth-is-that-gossip-is-as-good-as-gospel-in-this-town/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [His fingertips slid down from my face, lightly stroking the line of my neck, down toward my shoulder. Everywhere he touched, a trail of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/his-fingertips-slid-down-from-my-face-lightly-stroking-the-line-of-my/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I've seen every one, from Motley Crue to John Denver, with tears running down my face. I had no idea everyone had such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-ve-seen-every-one-from-motley-crue-to-john-denver-with-tears/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [So," I said. "Seems you're going to be stuck with me for a while." He smiled. A real smile that lit up his whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/so-i-said-seems-you-re-going-to-be-stuck-with-me-for-a-while-he/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [If enough money is involved and enough people believe that two plus two equals five the media will report the story with a straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-enough-money-is-involved-and-enough-people-believe-that-two-plus/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Here comes old Rosie she's looking mighty fine, here comes hot Nancy she's steppin' right on time. 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Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) [Browse all 13,128 Faces quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we turn pro we stop running from our fears. 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