[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fbX9HnN39YDfa_NR4bSMxw1k4AHBcupWWPnHsXy5m8CM":3,"$fQizYhxxHp7hNMUtIRvvIPrix5Iihbum6LbBlddjcwEU":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},28621,"Dinaw Mengestu","D",58,null,"dinaw-mengestu",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":78},[14,22,29,35,41,47,53,59,65,71],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3641628,"History does influence our lives - every moment. We never sort of live our lives in a linear fashion. We always have these memories and these images from our past that sometimes we're not even aware of, and they sort of shape who we are.",7,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":25,"has_image":18,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":9},2982583,"No one will ever have loved each other more than we did.",6,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":25,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},2982578,"You will never disappear,” I said. “Even if it may feel like you have at some point. We’re going to remain a part of each other’s lives for much longer than we think. There’s nothing we can say or do to change that.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":25,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},2982570,"I wanted to ask him if that was part of the plan, but I knew he would have said yes. The plan was to make war; anything that followed was part of it.",{"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":25,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":9},2982565,"There’s something physical that changes with a person’s appearance when they suddenly open up to you.",{"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":25,"has_image":18,"author":50,"source":51,"quote_tag":52,"commentary":9},2982559,"Reality had settled in, and they’re both still waiting to recover.",{"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":25,"has_image":18,"author":56,"source":57,"quote_tag":58,"commentary":9},2982555,"There is nothing so easily remade as our definitions of ourselves.",{"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":25,"has_image":18,"author":62,"source":63,"quote_tag":64,"commentary":9},2982540,"You see, at the beginning we weren’t fighters. We weren’t yellers or throwers, even if we eventually came to be. It would take time and much deeper wounds for us to get to that point.",{"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":25,"has_image":18,"author":68,"source":69,"quote_tag":70,"commentary":9},2982531,"What I didn’t know until then was that loving someone and feeling loved in return was the best exercise for the heart, the strength training needed to do more than simply make it through life.",{"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":25,"has_image":18,"author":74,"source":75,"quote_tag":76,"commentary":77},2982510,"What was it my father used to say? A bird stuck between two branches gets bitten on both wings. I would like to add my own saying to the list now, Father: a man stuck between two worlds lives and dies alone.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis poignant quote is from Dinaw Mengestu's novel \"The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears,\" published in 2007. At the time of writing, Mengestu was a young author, born to Ethiopian immigrant parents in Addis Ababa, who had moved to the United States. His experiences as a first-generation American, caught between two cultures, likely influenced his writing.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a paradoxical truth: while being stuck between two worlds can lead to being \"bitten on both wings\" by the expectations of both cultures, it also leads to a sense of isolation and disconnection. This insight highlights the tension between cultural identity and personal identity, suggesting that trying to navigate multiple cultural expectations can result in a loss of one's own sense of self.\n\n**How to Use This**\nIn today's globalized world, where many professionals and creatives navigate multiple cultural contexts, this quote serves as a reminder to prioritize one's own sense of identity and purpose. To avoid feeling stuck between two worlds, it's essential to cultivate a clear understanding of your own values, goals, and motivations, and to make intentional decisions about how to express your unique identity in the face of competing cultural expectations.",{"currentPage":79,"totalPages":25,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":80},1,10]