[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$frgvVkxfrfyJTXcDL1bbZcqmFLKgOEwYuoN5hsc7uEIw":3,"$fcMCWOjAsvvLYgV06GaqXVdlaYHUxzZ9pl80h9MLQ8v8":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},737,"E. L. Doctorow","E",162,null,"e-l-doctorow",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":78},[14,23,29,35,41,48,54,60,66,72],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":22},3648848,"My sense of what a book should be has changed so radically. I like to think for the better.",7,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is from E.L. Doctorow, an American novelist known for his innovative and provocative works that often blurred the lines between fiction and history. The sentiment expressed here likely comes from a time in his life when he was reflecting on his own growth as a writer, possibly during the 1970s or 1980s, a period marked by significant changes in the literary landscape. It's possible that this quote originated from an interview or a lecture where Doctorow was discussing his evolving views on storytelling and the role of the author.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nWhat stands out in this quote is not just the acknowledgment of change, but rather the humility and willingness to revise one's own standards for what constitutes a \"good book.\" The phrase \"I like to think for the better\" suggests that Doctorow was grappling with the tension between artistic integrity and adaptability, recognizing that his initial vision may have been flawed or limited.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, professionals and creatives should cultivate a similar willingness to revise their assumptions and seek improvement. Rather than becoming attached to an initial idea or vision, they should remain open to new information, perspectives, and experiences, allowing themselves to evolve and refine their approach over time.",{"id":24,"quote_text":25,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":9},3648846,"The important thing is not to be too comfortable when you're writing. Noise in the street? That's good. The computer goes down? That's good. All these things are good. It has to be a little bit of a struggle.",{"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":17,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},3648844,"If we ever find out how the brain works, with all its complexity, then we will be able to build a machine that has consciousness. And if that happens, that is a road to planetary disaster because everything we've thought about ourselves, since the Bronze Age, the Bible, all of that will be gone.",{"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":17,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},3648841,"I discovered Einstein said the same thing about his celebrated theories of relativity that writers say about their work when he said he didn't have any feelings of personal possession of these ideas. Once they were out there, they came from somewhere else. And that's exactly the feeling when you write. You don't feel possessive about 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":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":47},3648840,"It seems to me that in literature, books have always been answers to other books.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is reminiscent of E.L. Doctorow's literary philosophy, which often explored the interconnectedness of art and history. As a prolific author known for his innovative blend of fiction and reality, Doctorow frequently engaged in discussions about the role of literature as a response to the world around us. This particular sentiment likely emerged from one of his essays or lectures on the nature of storytelling.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nUpon closer examination, it becomes clear that Doctorow is not suggesting that books are simply answers to other books in a simplistic, literal sense. Rather, he's highlighting the inherent dialogue between art and reality, where each new work builds upon, challenges, and responds to existing ones. This dialectical relationship underscores the dynamic tension between creation and context.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, a writer or artist would do well to consider their work as an entry point into a larger conversation with the literary canon, as well as with the world at large. By embracing this reciprocal relationship between art and reality, creatives can cultivate a more nuanced understanding of their place within the broader cultural landscape.",{"id":49,"quote_text":50,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":9},3648838,"I get intrigued by a first lin and I write to find out why it means something to me. You make discoveries just the way the reader does, so you're simultaneously the writer and the reader.",{"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":18,"author":57,"source":58,"quote_tag":59,"commentary":9},3648835,"I got married very early, and in no time at all, we had three children. And it seemed to me I had an obligation to support them.",{"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":18,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":9},3648833,"In fiction, you know, there are no borders. You can go anywhere.",{"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":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},3648831,"I have a number of vices, one of which is moderation.",{"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":18,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":9},3648830,"My father was the proprietor of a music shop on Forty-third Street, where many of the finest performers and musicians of the day would come to shop. He knew the classical repertoire inside out.",{"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},1,17,10]