[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fi878PiS-slwjUpu_0kv5Hzw-H-yN5ttbSpjEUYpikHk":3,"$flVXdjO79Dc4dNua0jX6Pw5HaEH5BQcD19S_At_l32gs":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},201400,"David Bezmozgis","D",25,null,"david-bezmozgis",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":77},[14,22,28,35,41,47,53,59,65,71],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},2963413,"This is what I discovered during my imprisonment. I saw the human character in its naked form. I saw at one end a narrow rank of villainy, and at the other a narrow rank of virtue. In the middle was everyone else. And I understood that the state of the world is the result of the struggle between these two extremes.",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},2963410,"People everywhere feel differently at different times of their lives.",{"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":34},2963408,"It’s not for the writer to say whether the thing is successful or not.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is attributed to David Bezmozgis, a Canadian novelist and short-story writer of Latvian descent. The era in which he wrote suggests that the sentiment reflects a post-Soviet experience, where writers often navigated censorship and self-censorship. The context implies that Bezmozgis was grappling with the challenges of creative expression under oppressive regimes.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nAt first glance, this statement seems to indicate a detachment from one's work. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a profound acceptance of the writer's role in the creative process. By relinquishing control over success or failure, the author is, in fact, acknowledging that their task is not to judge the merit of their creation but to produce something true to themselves.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, consider separating your personal identity from the outcome of your work. Recognize that a project's success or failure is often outside your control and instead focus on producing something authentic, regardless of external validation. By doing so, you'll be able to navigate criticism, rejection, or uncertainty with greater ease, and maintain a sense of purpose in your creative endeavors.",{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},2963402,"I spent seven years writing The Free World. There are a lot of things I accomplished there that I’m very proud of, but I didn’t want to spend another seven years writing a book like that.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":9},2963398,"I think having an uncompromising ideology eventually forces you out of the norm.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":48,"quote_text":49,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":50,"source":51,"quote_tag":52,"commentary":9},2963396,"There are books where you can really see the moral question, which I think we answer every day for ourselves, in every interaction we have with people, to a lesser or greater degree.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":54,"quote_text":55,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":56,"source":57,"quote_tag":58,"commentary":9},2963393,"A measure of earth under your feet that you could call your own. Was there a more primitive concept? But nobody lives in the ether.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":60,"quote_text":61,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":62,"source":63,"quote_tag":64,"commentary":9},2963389,"In my experience of women, women have a greater capacity. Maybe women, even very pragmatic ones, are less guarded about showing emotions.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":66,"quote_text":67,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":68,"source":69,"quote_tag":70,"commentary":9},2963383,"Some is, I think, the personal in any act of writing. You find yourself caught up: you start a sentence, and it becomes revelatory, not just of the character, but of you as well.",{"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},2963381,"We are taught that we can be better than we are. But is there a limit to how good we can be?",{"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},1,3,10]