Pulled by Something You Can’t Name
Inside the quiet force that pulled Dylan forward — and never let go - Purpose Series – Part 2
“That goes back to this destiny thing…”
– Bob Dylan, 2004 interview, 60 Minutes
Welcome to Part 2 of The Daily Dylan Purpose Series.
In this series, we’re exploring the force behind Bob Dylan’s extraordinary life and work: purpose.
And for Dylan himself, that purpose has always been deeply tied to one word:
Destiny.
The Voice That Follows You
When Dylan spoke the now-famous line — “That goes back to this destiny thing…” — it wasn’t a performance.
He said it almost under his breath, like an aside.
He wasn’t trying to impress.
He was simply describing something he couldn’t ignore — a quiet certainty that his path wasn’t a choice, but a condition.
This wasn’t about fate in a romantic sense.
It was about knowing — not where it would all lead, but that he had to follow it.
Destiny vs. Decision
Many people see purpose as something we choose.
But Dylan’s life suggests something else: a calling that chooses you.
That doesn't mean it's easy.
Dylan made hard decisions. He alienated fans. Changed styles. Started over.
But underneath all of it was consistency of direction — not always in sound, but in spirit.
He wasn't chasing trends or even success.
He was chasing a thread — something only he could see, but that he trusted enough to keep moving toward.
Reinvention as Obedience
To outsiders, Dylan’s shifts — from folk to rock, from gospel to blues — looked like rebellion.
To Dylan, they were obedience.
Obedience to the work. Obedience to the voice that whispered, “This way now.”
When he picked up the electric guitar in Newport in 1965, it wasn’t because he wanted to shock the world.
It was because something inside told him: you can’t stay where you are.
Purpose doesn’t always feel bold.
Often, it feels necessary.
Purpose Isn’t Comfort — It’s Direction
It’s easy to confuse purpose with clarity.
But Dylan rarely had that.
What he had was a non-negotiable direction.
In Mastery, Robert Greene notes that people with deep purpose often feel compelled, not simply motivated.
It’s not a matter of preference — it’s a sense of being claimed by something.
That’s what Dylan’s “destiny thing” sounds like.
Not a prophecy. A pressure.
A current you can either resist or ride — but never fully explain.
For Us: Finding the Thread
You don’t have to be Dylan to know the feeling.
Maybe you’ve had moments when something called you — to write, to build, to teach, to move.
Maybe you said yes. Maybe you said not now.
But the voice doesn’t vanish.
It waits.
Dylan’s story reminds us that destiny isn’t about being chosen by history.
It’s about choosing, again and again, to follow the thing that keeps showing up.
Next up: The Long Road to Mastery — how Dylan’s decades of work reveal the deeper power of devotion.
Thanks for walking the path with us,
Daniel
Absolutely love this concise piece on Dylan and destiny. His ability to tune out the noise and follow his intuition is fierce and fearless. The freedom in not caring what others think is his super power.