From Jay Lake, decontextualized, but still wise:
“I’m tempted to say the insecurity of authors knows no bounds, but someone would take that as a challenge. It sometimes comes out of the skinny end of the tube as paranoia. There is no conspiracy in publishing, just a whole lot of people doing their damndest for love of the written word. Write more, get better, sell. Don’t forget to eat, sleep and love. It’s the key to a happy career.”
I’d say that these days I spend less than half of my time being paranoid.