[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fGgZgUMky8xH4rK8Sv5BGnjkjImsfpbRQIoGdZiaN9HE":3,"$feosdqcuM6raFyuO3gDoa0tWMHFHeN1r6JlSEmu5mdSQ":15},{"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},194650,"George Woodcock","G",21,null,"george-woodcock",[12],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":8},65499,"canadian-writer",{"quotes":16,"pagination":110},[17,28,37,46,56,65,74,83,92,101],{"id":18,"quote_text":19,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":22,"source":23,"quote_tag":24,"commentary":9},2717376,"Structures are fine as long as they are controlled by the people who actually work within the structures, but they're dicey even there.",4,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[25],{"id":26,"tag":27},5694011,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":29,"quote_text":30,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":31,"source":32,"quote_tag":33,"commentary":9},2717365,"We don't allow people to be knights, to be knighted by the Queen of England, but we do allow them to become members of the Order of Canada.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[34],{"id":35,"tag":36},5693999,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":38,"quote_text":39,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":40,"source":41,"quote_tag":42,"commentary":9},2717350,"I suppose, a person for whom freedom is the most important thing - intellectual freedom and, as far as possible, physical freedom.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[43],{"id":44,"tag":45},5693986,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":47,"quote_text":48,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":49,"source":50,"quote_tag":51,"commentary":55},2717339,"You can be bound by physical things, as I am by certain sicknesses, but nevertheless you can still be free to recognize that all initiatives really come from yourself if you don't depend upon structures of government or structures of any kind.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[52],{"id":53,"tag":54},5693975,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},"**The Backstory**\nGeorge Woodcock, a Canadian writer and historian, penned this quote in the context of his own struggles with physical health. In the 1960s and 1970s, Woodcock was diagnosed with various ailments, including heart disease and arthritis, which significantly impacted his mobility and productivity. Despite these physical limitations, he continued to write and engage in intellectual pursuits, reflecting on the nature of freedom and autonomy.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a paradoxical relationship between physical constraints and personal freedom. Woodcock suggests that while external structures and circumstances can bind us, our perception of freedom lies in recognizing that we are the initiators of our own actions, even in the face of adversity. This means that true freedom is not about external circumstances, but about our internal attitude and agency.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset, modern professionals and creatives can focus on cultivating a sense of self-initiative and agency, even when faced with physical or situational limitations. By recognizing that our freedom lies within, we can prioritize our own internal drivers and motivations, rather than relying on external structures or circumstances, and thus maintain a sense of purpose and autonomy despite adversity.",{"id":57,"quote_text":58,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":59,"source":60,"quote_tag":61,"commentary":9},2717327,"They decided that unpaid leave could only be granted through the decision of a council that consisted almost entirely of scientists who couldn't understand my reasons for wanting to go so. They said no, no unpaid. So I immediately resigned.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[62],{"id":63,"tag":64},5693963,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":66,"quote_text":67,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":68,"source":69,"quote_tag":70,"commentary":9},2717323,"Orwell was the sort of man who was full of grievances. He was very loyal. Once he got to know you, he was extremely loyal. He hated passionately and irrationally.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[71],{"id":72,"tag":73},5693954,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":75,"quote_text":76,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":77,"source":78,"quote_tag":79,"commentary":9},2717313,"I was editing Canadian Literature. I didn't want to let Canadian Literature go, so they reached a nice compromise by which I received half a professor's salary.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[80],{"id":81,"tag":82},5693946,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":84,"quote_text":85,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":86,"source":87,"quote_tag":88,"commentary":9},2717303,"I suppose I'm led to do so by the fact of what happened to my contemporaries - people whom I've admired, people who I thought were ten times better than me when I was in my twenties and early thirties. I may have been right.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[89],{"id":90,"tag":91},5693940,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":93,"quote_text":94,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":95,"source":96,"quote_tag":97,"commentary":9},2717290,"When you act dramatically in that way it often has a consequence that is very negative.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[98],{"id":99,"tag":100},5693929,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":102,"quote_text":103,"author_id":5,"source_id":20,"has_image":21,"author":104,"source":105,"quote_tag":106,"commentary":9},2717279,"My split with the university was over the fact that I had become involved with helping Tibetans in India.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[107],{"id":108,"tag":109},5693914,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"currentPage":111,"totalPages":112,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":113},1,3,10]