Hierarchy of Publishing

I've thought a lot about this for the past week. Any author worth their salt needs an agent. Only the elite authors will be published in New York. You can't have an agent unless you've published. You won't publish unless you have an agent. The "Big" houses won't accept unagented anything.
This is all ridiculous.
An author who writes for prestige and money is not a true author. A true author will write because of the joy of the words. A true author will seek out ways for their work to be seen by the readers. A true author will spend his/her own money, time, and resources to give their story a fighting chance. A true author never quits in the face of adversity. And for those of you who write...you KNOW what I'm saying.
A true author will file those hundred or so rejection letters away and type out another query. A true author has a strong backbone and nerves of steel. And if we don't, we don't ever let it show. A true author's motto is "Never Say Die."
I have more respect for the struggling author than for the one who throws up his/her hands and says "screw it."
An author's joy is palpable. He/she holds it in her hands with an acceptance letter. He/she coddles the book with his/her name on it. Our words to the world.
There is ink in our veins and insanity in the air.
Don't EVER place yourself between an author on a bender and their writing utensils. *grinning*
So keep on writing. Write from your heart and soul. Write what you want to write. And don't ever let them get you down. Every manuscript has a home. Your job is being the realtor.
Grins*