Every human being has an essential, inborn striving toward self-actualization.
The writer's only responsibility is to his art. He will be completely ruthless if he is a good one... If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is worth any number of old ladies.
I always wanted to be a singer, and I focused on that goal, even when others told me I couldn't do it.
The most important thing you can do to achieve your goals is to make sure that as soon as you set them, you immediately begin to create momentum.