Do what your inner soul tells you to do, regardless of any money

“Do what your inner soul tells you to do, regardless of any money or success it will bring you.” Thus spoke Etel Adnan, poet, painter, and witness of worlds, whose words carry the fire of one who has walked between cultures and found truth in the still voice within. Her declaration is not the counsel of ease, but of courage—for the inner soul speaks often in whispers, and its call rarely promises wealth or applause. Yet in obeying it, one finds something greater than the world’s reward: the freedom of living in harmony with one’s truest self.

The origin of this wisdom lies in Adnan’s own life. Born in Lebanon, educated in France, living between tongues and traditions, she carried within her both exile and belonging. She painted not because it would bring fortune, but because her soul demanded color. She wrote not for fame, but because her heart burned with visions of war, exile, and love. Her words remind us that true creation and true living spring not from calculation, but from listening—listening to the inner soul, that divine compass which points not toward gain, but toward meaning.

History offers powerful witnesses to this truth. Consider the life of Socrates, who chose to drink the hemlock rather than betray the dictates of his conscience. He could have lived by bending to the judgment of men, yet he obeyed his inner soul, which told him to seek truth above safety. He gained no money, no worldly success—in fact, he lost his life. Yet his legacy endures across millennia, stronger than the empires that condemned him. Such is the power of living by inner truth rather than by outward reward.

Or think of Emily Dickinson, who wrote nearly two thousand poems yet published only a handful in her lifetime. She lived in obscurity, her words hidden in drawers and envelopes, unseen by the world. She obeyed not the marketplace, but the inner soul that compelled her to write. Only after her death was her genius revealed, and the world realized that her disregard for success had preserved the purity of her vision. She lived without applause, yet her voice continues to echo, because it was faithful to the depths within.

Adnan’s words are also a warning: the pursuit of money and success can drown the voice of the soul. Many abandon their calling to chase gain, only to find themselves hollow. They may build palaces of wealth, yet inside they live as beggars of meaning. But those who obey their inner voice, even in poverty or obscurity, carry a wealth no coin can measure—the wealth of authenticity, of harmony between life and spirit.

The lesson for us is this: trust your inner soul. It is the truest guide, the flame that lights your path. Do not measure your actions by the applause they may win, but by the resonance they create within. Ask yourself not, “Will this make me rich or famous?” but, “Will this make me whole?” For the rewards of the world fade, but the peace of a soul that has obeyed itself endures like a steady flame through the storms of life.

Therefore, let each one act with courage. Create the art that burns within you, even if no one buys it. Speak the truth that your heart insists upon, even if no one applauds it. Choose the path that gives life to your soul, even if the world mocks it. For in the end, wealth and success are but passing shadows, but the life lived in obedience to the inner soul is eternal, echoing beyond time.

So let Etel Adnan’s words endure as command and comfort: “Do what your inner soul tells you to do, regardless of any money or success it will bring you.” Take them into your heart, and remember that your soul is not bargaining with the world—it is speaking with eternity. Live in its light, and your life itself will become a poem, a painting, a truth that no riches can equal and no power can erase.