[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f84R7HdewVukQwDaiz_t6FgniJDy-bFXEzs_43dum31Q":3,"$fDGt7i2VuPitGYrMvXp62swql7QJ7AyaNGnkKr0E_gGY":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},10841,"Alfred Bester","A",74,null,"alfred-bester",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":77},[14,22,28,34,40,46,52,58,65,71],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},2836686,"Mayo was again awakened by the clatter of dispossessed ducks.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":25,"source":26,"quote_tag":27,"commentary":9},2836685,"The law makes the silliest damned fuss about death. People die by the thousands everyday; but simply because someone has had the energy and enterprise to assist old D’Courtney to his demise, the law insists on turning him into an enemy of the people. I think it’s idiotic, but please don’t quote me.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":29,"quote_text":30,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":31,"source":32,"quote_tag":33,"commentary":9},2836684,"There was the taste of a strand of cool pearls in his mouth.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":35,"quote_text":36,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":37,"source":38,"quote_tag":39,"commentary":9},2836683,"You can tell when a Hollywood historical film was made by looking at the eye makeup of the leading ladies, and you can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more strangely than the future.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":41,"quote_text":42,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":43,"source":44,"quote_tag":45,"commentary":9},2836682,"We were mugged by some senior citizens on the way from the chopper to the main gate, but no great harm done; they were using vintage revolvers.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":47,"quote_text":48,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":49,"source":50,"quote_tag":51,"commentary":9},2836681,"Any man was capable of jaunting provided he developed two faculties, visualization and concentration. He had to visualize, completely and precisely, the spot to which he desired to teleport himself; and he had to concentrate the latent energy of his mind into a single thrust to get him there. Above all, he had to have faith.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":53,"quote_text":54,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":55,"source":56,"quote_tag":57,"commentary":9},2836680,"We don’t punish criminals in our enlightened age, we cure ’em; and the cure is worse than punishment.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":59,"quote_text":60,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":61,"source":62,"quote_tag":63,"commentary":64},2836678,"Century also had shelves of obsolete printed books.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nAlfred Bester, a renowned science fiction author, wrote this passage likely in his 1950s novel \"The Demolished Man.\" During this time, Bester was grappling with the changing landscape of publishing and the impact of technology on literature. The era saw the rise of paperback books and the growing accessibility of reading materials, which challenged traditional notions of literary value.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nOn the surface, the quote appears to describe a mundane observation about book storage. However, it actually reveals Bester's commentary on the ephemeral nature of knowledge and art. By highlighting \"obsolete printed books,\" he subtly critiques the notion that written works have intrinsic value or permanence, instead suggesting that they are subject to the whims of time and cultural relevance.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, professionals and creatives should recognize that their work's value is not solely determined by its initial reception or its continued relevance in an ever-changing world. Instead, they should cultivate a sense of detachment from their creations' success or failure, acknowledging that the true test of enduring value lies in how these works adapt and evolve with time.",{"id":66,"quote_text":67,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":68,"source":69,"quote_tag":70,"commentary":9},2836677,"Every child in the world imagines that its phantasy world is unique to itself. Psychiatry knows that the joys and terrors of private phantasies are a common heritage shared by all mankind. Fears, guilts, terrors, and shames could be interchanged, from one man to the next, and none would notice the difference.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":72,"quote_text":73,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":74,"source":75,"quote_tag":76,"commentary":9},2836675,"Every man nurses the secret belief that were he God he could do the job much better.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":78,"totalPages":79,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":80},1,8,10]