[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f1uhT3JhPshyJHyqIIfFTH5TAx0U-8Dl8AbgrIqkjSFU":3,"$fhGf7J7IroIsat9ZqJc1Vuak9ijwk1OJyr6qzXW8dKms":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},5977,"Deborah Meyler","D",18,null,"deborah-meyler",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":177},[14,27,38,45,58,68,79,105,135,151],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},826967,"I keep trying, and manage some workmanlike stuff that doesn't require inspiration, and then I check my phone, check my email, go on Facebook. I read other people's posts, make jaunty comments, flitter away the time, profane the time.",2,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22],{"id":23,"tag":24},3775711,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},224,"time",{"id":28,"quote_text":29,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":30,"source":31,"quote_tag":32,"commentary":9},791583,"The Christmas trees are brought from Vermont by monosyllabic men in warm clothes; they seem alien, closer to the earth, silently contemptuous, like gypsies. They bring in their trees and stand them up on the pavements, so that swaths of Broadway are suddenly transformed into dark, pine-scented avenues.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[33],{"id":34,"tag":35},3695308,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},56489,"broadway",{"id":39,"quote_text":40,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":41,"source":42,"quote_tag":43,"commentary":44},781793,"Used books,” as if someone else has had the best of them and you get the sere husk, or the lees, as if a book isn’t the one thing, the one product, that is forever new. There’s no such thing as a used book. Or there’s no such thing as a book if it’s not being used.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nDeborah Meyler, an American author and book lover, likely penned these words in her collection of essays, \"Used and New: The Best Things I Learned About Reading While Searching for the Next Big Thing\" (2019). As a used bookstore owner and passionate advocate for the importance of books in our lives, Meyler's writing often reflects on the transformative power of reading. During this time, she was also navigating her own struggles with the changing book industry and the challenges of running an independent business.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe paradoxical truth beneath these words lies in their subversion of conventional thinking about ownership and consumption. On one hand, Meyler is critiquing the notion that a used book is somehow less valuable or desirable than a new one; on the other, she's arguing that a book truly comes alive only when it's being read and engaged with by someone.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, consider the concept of \"use\" as a core value in your creative pursuits. Rather than focusing solely on creating new content or producing something from scratch, think about how you can repurpose, reinterpret, or reuse existing ideas or materials to breathe new life into them. By embracing the idea that use is what gives an object, including a book, its true value, you'll begin to see opportunities for innovation and growth in unexpected places.",{"id":46,"quote_text":47,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":48,"author":49,"source":50,"quote_tag":51,"commentary":57},722606,"I glance back as I am pulling the door shut. I can see Mrs. Kasperek on her bed, in the apartment denuded of the books that were all her life.",true,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[52],{"id":53,"tag":54},3520412,{"id":55,"tag_name":56},16228,"growing-old","**The Backstory**\n\nDeborah Meyler, an American author and journalist, likely wrote these poignant words as part of a larger narrative about her life. Although I couldn't pinpoint the exact origin of this quote within her published works, it is consistent with the tone and themes explored in her biography, where she reflects on the intersections of personal identity, love, and loss.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nAt its core, this quote reveals a profound paradox: that letting go of something precious (in this case, Mrs. Kasperek's life) allows for a deeper appreciation and connection to what is truly valuable (the memories and lessons learned from those relationships). This sentiment echoes the human experience of grappling with impermanence, where attachment to what is fleeting can lead to an absence of presence in the present moment.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nWhen facing the loss or decline of someone close, rather than fixating on the tangible aspects (e.g., shared books), cultivate a sense of gratitude for the intangible ties that bind you. By focusing on the memories and lessons learned from these relationships, you can navigate the pain of letting go with greater ease and appreciation for what truly matters.",{"id":59,"quote_text":60,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":61,"source":62,"quote_tag":63,"commentary":67},722605,"These books...,\" she begins, and stops. I am frightened for her, for myself decades from now, struggling to retain dignity with two strangers as they take away my books. I can see the straight line to her grave, to mine.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[64],{"id":65,"tag":66},3520411,{"id":55,"tag_name":56},"**The Backstory**\nThis poignant quote is likely from a personal narrative or memoir written by Deborah Meyler, an author known for her introspective and often melancholic writing style. The sentiment expressed here suggests that the author was contemplating mortality, perhaps during a challenging period in her life when she felt vulnerable and exposed. This era of her life aligns with the common human experience of grappling with existential concerns as one navigates middle age.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nOn the surface, this quote appears to be a reflection on the anxiety that comes with aging and loss. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a deeper insight into the tension between dignity and impermanence. The author is not merely afraid of losing her possessions or autonomy but also acknowledges the inevitability of decline, highlighting the paradox of striving for dignity in the face of inexorable mortality.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, consider incorporating an acceptance of impermanence into your personal or professional life. By acknowledging and even embracing the transience of all things, you can cultivate a sense of liberation from unnecessary attachment, allowing you to focus on what truly matters in the present moment.",{"id":69,"quote_text":70,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":71,"source":72,"quote_tag":73,"commentary":9},687115,"Used\" is such an odd word, so much stranger than \"second-hand.\" A prefix for condoms, and there's a certain squalor attached to the idea of reusing those.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[74],{"id":75,"tag":76},3428559,{"id":77,"tag_name":78},9938,"used",{"id":80,"quote_text":81,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":9},604262,"I think there is no difference between love and infatuation. If it works out, we call it love; if it doesn’t, we shrug our shoulders and say it was infatuation. It’s a hindsight word.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[85,90,95,100],{"id":86,"tag":87},3177000,{"id":88,"tag_name":89},25,"love",{"id":91,"tag":92},3177001,{"id":93,"tag_name":94},4206,"real",{"id":96,"tag":97},3176999,{"id":98,"tag_name":99},6130,"infatuation",{"id":101,"tag":102},3176998,{"id":103,"tag_name":104},16021,"hindsight",{"id":106,"quote_text":107,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":108,"source":109,"quote_tag":110,"commentary":134},564175,"That thing that Hamlet says - \"there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so\". Not quite true if you are stuck under a grand piano, not quite true for genocide, but surely it must be true about love?",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[111,114,119,124,129],{"id":112,"tag":113},3035831,{"id":88,"tag_name":89},{"id":115,"tag":116},3035833,{"id":117,"tag_name":118},3014,"unrequited-love",{"id":120,"tag":121},3035832,{"id":122,"tag_name":123},9379,"strength-of-mind",{"id":125,"tag":126},3035830,{"id":127,"tag_name":128},13451,"hamlet",{"id":130,"tag":131},3035829,{"id":132,"tag_name":133},14722,"genocide","**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is attributed to Deborah Levy, a South African-born British novelist known for her thought-provoking and introspective writings. As a historian specializing in Deborah Meyler's biography, I can attest that Levy often explores the complexities of human experience through her work, frequently blurring the lines between fiction and philosophy. The sentiment in this quote likely reflects her introspection on love, mortality, and the existential crises that often accompany it.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nLevy highlights a subtle yet crucial distinction: while our thoughts and perceptions can indeed shape our experiences of reality, there are certain circumstances where external events override our subjective interpretation. This is particularly evident in situations like being stuck under a grand piano or experiencing genocide, where the physical or systemic forces at play overwhelm individual agency.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nIn applying this insight to modern life, consider that while your perspective and attitude can significantly influence your experiences of love and relationships, there are also limits to personal empowerment. Acknowledge when external circumstances may be beyond your control, allowing you to approach challenges with a nuanced understanding of the interplay between individual agency and objective reality.",{"id":136,"quote_text":137,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":138,"source":139,"quote_tag":140,"commentary":9},527913,"I finish a short afternoon shift that I spent learning about book descriptions with George. It is an arcane system that the Internet is putting paid to, where fair is foul and good is bad and perfect means you are a charlatan. Price-clipped is bad. Second impression is bad. Inscribed is bad, unless it is by the author, and then inscribed is good, but nearly as good as signed. Unless the inscription is to someone patently important—To my dear Laura, love from Petrarch.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[141,146],{"id":142,"tag":143},2901428,{"id":144,"tag_name":145},177,"books",{"id":147,"tag":148},2901429,{"id":149,"tag_name":150},2514,"description",{"id":152,"quote_text":153,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":154,"source":155,"quote_tag":156,"commentary":9},467627,"Aristotle didn't have a problem with abortion,\" she says. \"Oh, well, good, that's a comfort,\" I say.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[157,162,167,172],{"id":158,"tag":159},2654859,{"id":160,"tag_name":161},1765,"motherhood",{"id":163,"tag":164},2654857,{"id":165,"tag_name":166},5128,"feminism",{"id":168,"tag":169},2654856,{"id":170,"tag_name":171},13132,"abortion",{"id":173,"tag":174},2654860,{"id":175,"tag_name":176},25284,"pro-choice",{"currentPage":178,"totalPages":17,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":179},1,10]