[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fVvGRypOPIPgTvlLDAO6vXyyE_XU03W48SLH88OsuREs":3,"$fuugvQWJTkvOZyEJVzabWPaJ_FSHUhectm9L_804fyH4":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},10725,"Ananda K. Coomaraswamy","A",9,null,"ananda-k-coomaraswamy",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":127},[14,22,28,40,56,68,79,90,111],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},2846686,"It is only when the maker of things is a maker of things by vocation, and not merely holding down a job, that the price of things is approximate to their real value.",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},2846677,"The life or lives of man may be regarded as constituting a curve – an arc of time-experience subtended by the duration of the individual Will to Life.",{"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":31,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},702142,"Free thought is a passion; it is much rather the thoughts than ourselves that are free.",2,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[35],{"id":36,"tag":37},3468407,{"id":38,"tag_name":39},11824,"free-thought",{"id":41,"quote_text":42,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":43,"source":44,"quote_tag":45,"commentary":9},612638,"What I have sought is to understand what has been said.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[46,51],{"id":47,"tag":48},3204710,{"id":49,"tag_name":50},223,"wisdom",{"id":52,"tag":53},3204709,{"id":54,"tag_name":55},4432,"understanding",{"id":57,"quote_text":58,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":59,"source":60,"quote_tag":61,"commentary":67},598597,"What we see in a democracy governed by “representatives” is not a government “for the people” but an organized conflict of interests that only results in the setting up of unstable balances of power.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[62],{"id":63,"tag":64},3158568,{"id":65,"tag_name":66},3993,"democracy","**The Backstory**\nAnanda K. Coomaraswamy, a Ceylonese philosopher and art historian, likely penned this quote in the early 20th century, during his years in the United States. As a scholar of Eastern philosophy, Coomaraswamy was disillusioned with the Western democratic system, which he saw as a far cry from the true spirit of democracy. His critique was not a rejection of democracy per se, but rather a commentary on the inherent flaws of representative governance.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a profound tension between the ideal of democracy and the reality of power struggles. Coomaraswamy's observation highlights how the very system designed to serve the people often devolves into a complex web of competing interests, leading to unstable power balances. This paradox underscores the inherent conflict between the desire for representation and the need for genuine self-governance.\n\n**How to Use This**\nIn today's fast-paced, interconnected world, professionals and creatives can apply Coomaraswamy's insight by recognizing that true power often resides in the spaces between institutions and interests. To effectively navigate these power dynamics, one must cultivate a deep understanding of the underlying forces at play, rather than simply advocating for a particular ideology or interest. By acknowledging the complexity of power structures, individuals can develop more nuanced strategies for achieving their goals and creating meaningful change.",{"id":69,"quote_text":70,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":71,"source":72,"quote_tag":73,"commentary":9},557535,"While there may have lived an individual teacher who gave the ancient wisdom its peculiarly “Buddhist” coloring, his personality is completely overshadowed, as he must have wished it should be, by the eternal substance with which he identified himself. In other words, “the Buddha is only anthropomorphic, not a man”.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[74],{"id":75,"tag":76},3012820,{"id":77,"tag_name":78},2982,"buddhism",{"id":80,"quote_text":81,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":9},534361,"If the “signs and wonders” are lightly dismissed, it is not because they are unreal, but because it is an evil and adulterous generation that asketh for a sign.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[85],{"id":86,"tag":87},2924572,{"id":88,"tag_name":89},2652,"miracles",{"id":91,"quote_text":92,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":93,"source":94,"quote_tag":95,"commentary":9},500755,"It is one of the prime errors of historical and rational analysis to suppose that the “truth” and “original form” of a legend can be separated from its miraculous elements. It is in the marvels themselves that the truth inheres.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[96,101,106],{"id":97,"tag":98},2796700,{"id":99,"tag_name":100},424,"fairy-tale",{"id":102,"tag":103},2796701,{"id":104,"tag_name":105},6136,"legends",{"id":107,"tag":108},2796702,{"id":109,"tag_name":110},12932,"myths",{"id":112,"quote_text":113,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":114,"source":115,"quote_tag":116,"commentary":9},40743,"Let us tell them the painful truth, that most of these works of art are about God, whom we never mention in polite society.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[117,122],{"id":118,"tag":119},278173,{"id":120,"tag_name":121},41,"art",{"id":123,"tag":124},278174,{"id":125,"tag_name":126},255,"god",{"currentPage":128,"totalPages":128,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":129},1,10]