[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fcoW779NIhAsvXi00mnemyU_1uuNcETnBnjDpKiKutN4":3,"$fBwCH09Hme-41Ir1HVjNLuUj0g_PI1kJXKqTlJsgQmP0":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},104939,"Christopher Hampton","C",40,null,"christopher-hampton",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":78},[14,23,30,36,42,48,54,60,66,72],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":22},2935067,"What is friendship, if not a chance to indulge in mutual self-pity?",6,true,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nChristopher Hampton, a British playwright and screenwriter, likely penned these words in his reflective moments, perhaps during his experiences as an expatriate or while navigating the complexities of relationships. As someone who has traversed various artistic mediums, Hampton may have been pondering the essence of human connections amidst his own creative struggles.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nHampton's quote subverts conventional notions of friendship by highlighting its underlying dynamic: mutual self-pity. This statement reveals a paradoxical aspect of close relationships – that they often rely on shared misery and commiseration rather than genuine emotional support or uplifting each other. By acknowledging this, we can begin to appreciate the intricate web of human connections.\n\n**How to Use This**\nWhen navigating complex relationships, consider adopting a mindset that acknowledges and even leans into mutual self-pity as a means of building empathy and fostering deeper connections with others. By embracing this aspect of friendship, you may find yourself more inclined to engage in meaningful conversations and form lasting bonds with those around you.",{"id":24,"quote_text":25,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":27,"source":28,"quote_tag":29,"commentary":9},2935062,"Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs.",false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":31,"quote_text":32,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":33,"source":34,"quote_tag":35,"commentary":9},2935056,"It’s great to get out of the study and work with real living and breathing people.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":37,"quote_text":38,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":39,"source":40,"quote_tag":41,"commentary":9},2935052,"If you take a really good book, then the potential is for a really good film. But you’ve got to get it right.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":43,"quote_text":44,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":45,"source":46,"quote_tag":47,"commentary":9},2935048,"I love films. If I’d known how to get into or do it from the word go, I would have done that.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":49,"quote_text":50,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":9},2935043,"Often I think the novels I read won’t make very good movies – I better not say which I’m looking at for potential films! – but it’s nice to have an excuse to just sit and read for a whole day.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":55,"quote_text":56,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":57,"source":58,"quote_tag":59,"commentary":9},2935034,"It’s possible to disagree with someone about the ethics of non-violence without wanting to kick his face in.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":61,"quote_text":62,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":9},2935027,"I’m ashamed to say the first play I saw at the Royal Court was mine.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},2935026,"I became a virtuoso of deceit. It wasn’t pleasure I was after, it was knowledge. I consulted the strictest moralists to learn how to appear, philosophers to find out what to think and novelists to see what I could get away with.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":73,"quote_text":74,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":9},2935020,"You know very well that unless you’re a scientist, it’s much more important for a theory to be shapely, than for it to be true.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":79,"totalPages":80,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":81},1,4,10]