In his upcoming memoir, The Steps, Sylvester Stallone reflects on the difficult early years of his life and how they led to the creation of the screenplay for Rocky, the 1976 film that made him a household name. Stallone recalls a time when he was financially struggling and desperate for a fresh idea. He found inspiration in a famous quote from Thomas Paine, an 18th-century writer and political activist, who wrote in 1776, "These are the times that try men's souls." Stallone saw his own life struggles mirrored in those words. Stallone admits he was frustrated with himself after selling the rights to his earlier film Paradise Alley for a small amount of money. He viewed this decision as a sign of weakness, and it shaped how he thought about opportunities and the pain of being denied them. This experience left him feeling defeated and questioning his own choices. During a time when he was stuck and unable to write, Stallone took a walk through his neighborhood, thinking about the shared human experience of frustration and the longing for opportunity. He imagined how many people feel like their dreams have been left behind and how that feeling could be explored in a story. He realized that writing about his own life might not connect with a wider audience, so he began to think about creating a character who had already faced failure and accepted his place as a "bum"—someone who had given up on his dreams. Stallone found inspiration in the ideas of racing and fighting, which he saw as basic human instincts. He began to think of life as a boxing ring, where people must fight to survive. This idea led him to create a character who was a real-life boxer—someone with dreams but who had faced major obstacles. This character would become the foundation for the story that would eventually become Rocky.