[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f_MnCpjRWQMbewt59u5rWqQu7ARq_U0lYIVAVKgjnrHQ":3,"$fH_mz0q6lVigii0OScNpunXesaT3PrCYKCACw2xi3dDQ":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},162416,"Ferdinand Mount","F",29,null,"ferdinand-mount",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":108},[14,22,28,34,46,58,69,80,91,97],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3025015,"I think it’s a pity that in many people’s minds constitutional reform and PR have come to mean much the same thing.",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},3024976,"It’s true that I’m taking a break from writing a regular column to do other things but it’s got nothing to do with what dear Simon has or has not written.",{"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":9},3024971,"The president is being denounced for not taking the kind of pre-emptive action in Afghanistan that he has been so passionately denounced for taking in Iraq. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":35,"quote_text":36,"author_id":5,"source_id":37,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},2001574,"I cannot help believing that both the poverty and the independence would wither under most systems of Proportional Representation (PR).",4,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[41],{"id":42,"tag":43},4989012,{"id":44,"tag_name":45},3253,"believing",{"id":47,"quote_text":48,"author_id":5,"source_id":37,"has_image":18,"author":49,"source":50,"quote_tag":51,"commentary":57},2001571,"Why should people be expected to think about the meaning of life merely because they happen to be ill? That is just the time when there is no time to think about such things, because the body is so greedy for attention.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[52],{"id":53,"tag":54},4989009,{"id":55,"tag_name":56},56,"thinking","**The Backstory**\nThis poignant reflection is attributed to the British novelist and essayist, Ferdinand Mount. The era was marked by the rise of modern medicine, where the emphasis on curing diseases led to a dehumanizing aspect of healthcare. It's plausible that Mount penned these words during his tenure as a critic for The Sunday Times or in one of his essays, reflecting on the human condition amidst medical advancements.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nMount's quote reveals an often-overlooked aspect of human psychology: our capacity to prioritize and compartmentalize our thoughts. He points out that people are less concerned with existential questions when faced with physical suffering because their attention is consumed by pain management. This dichotomy suggests that we tend to allocate our mental resources based on immediate needs, prioritizing survival over introspection.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this insight in a modern context, professionals and creatives should acknowledge the importance of compartmentalization when facing intense periods of work or personal struggle. By accepting that their mental capacity is limited, they can strategically allocate time for reflection and planning during less demanding times, allowing them to maintain focus and productivity when needed most.",{"id":59,"quote_text":60,"author_id":5,"source_id":37,"has_image":18,"author":61,"source":62,"quote_tag":63,"commentary":9},2001567,"If life was what you made of it, then it could not be made for you.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[64],{"id":65,"tag":66},4989005,{"id":67,"tag_name":68},133280,"ifs",{"id":70,"quote_text":71,"author_id":5,"source_id":37,"has_image":18,"author":72,"source":73,"quote_tag":74,"commentary":9},2001558,"Francis Wheen takes a hugely enjoyable sweep through the tangled thickets of superstition and gullibility in which modern man likes to ramble. He takes particular delight in reminding us how easily fools are parted from their money and how many of them there are.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[75],{"id":76,"tag":77},4988999,{"id":78,"tag_name":79},326,"men",{"id":81,"quote_text":82,"author_id":5,"source_id":37,"has_image":18,"author":83,"source":84,"quote_tag":85,"commentary":9},2001554,"I hate churches, all of them. But they used to know something about the importance of silence.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[86],{"id":87,"tag":88},4988991,{"id":89,"tag_name":90},489,"hate",{"id":92,"quote_text":93,"author_id":5,"source_id":37,"has_image":18,"author":94,"source":95,"quote_tag":96,"commentary":9},2001549,"At a rough estimate, I should guess I started taking an interest in the British Constitution at the age of forty-two and a half.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":98,"quote_text":99,"author_id":5,"source_id":37,"has_image":18,"author":100,"source":101,"quote_tag":102,"commentary":9},2001542,"We criticize, copy, patronize, idolize and insult but we never doubt that the U.S. has a unique position in the history of human hopes.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[103],{"id":104,"tag":105},4988978,{"id":106,"tag_name":107},462,"history",{"currentPage":109,"totalPages":110,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":111},1,3,10]