[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fy_XxpqzrJTMM_ttZtITFQuIEZIngVX4CHKP3OqOKs2Y":3,"$fgZTwffqJbOX5XyX5Nb6HxcItCP4rVw1yTF0cpHSkOF8":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},45231,"Mahbod Seraji","M",14,null,"mahbod-seraji",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":98},[14,22,28,34,40,46,52,59,65,77],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3244879,"This is a massive world, I think, and in each centimeter of it, a different drama unfolds every second of the day. But we live on as if the next moment in our lives will be no different than the last. How foolish we all are.",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},3244868,"Has anyone ever told you that you have That?” I must look thoroughly confused. “You’ve never heard of That?” he asks, surprised. I shake my head no. “It’s a priceless quality that’s impossible to define, really,” he explains, “but you recognize it in the actions of great people.” Showering friends and strangers with inflated but disingenuous compliments is a customary tradition in Iran called taarof, but looking into Doctor’s eyes, I don’t think he’s taarof-ing. Some.",{"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},3244858,"Sometimes it’s easier not to think about things you can’t do anything about.",{"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":17,"has_image":18,"author":37,"source":38,"quote_tag":39,"commentary":9},3244854,"Trust me. A storm is brewing inside this cool cat now. She’ll gradually break down and you’ll see what’s behind the clouds.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":41,"quote_text":42,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":43,"source":44,"quote_tag":45,"commentary":9},3244826,"People do amazing things for love. Books are full of wonderful stories about this kind of stuff, and stories aren’t just fantasies, you know. They’re so much a part of the people who write them that they practically teach their readers invaluable lessons about life.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":47,"quote_text":48,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":49,"source":50,"quote_tag":51,"commentary":9},3244816,"Seventeen’s not a good age. That’s when you realize that you have a heart. That’s when feelings get in the way of thinking.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":53,"quote_text":54,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":55,"source":56,"quote_tag":57,"commentary":58},3244807,"Loving is a laborious and complex business.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis poignant observation is attributed to Mahbod Seraji, an Iranian-American author and philosopher, best known for his memoir \"And the Fire Doesn't Die\". While the specific origin of this quote within his work is unclear, it reflects the complexities and challenges he faced in navigating cultural identity, love, and relationships as a migrant. During this period, Seraji was grappling with the intricacies of intercultural relationships and the difficulties of balancing traditional expectations with modern desires.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nOn the surface, the quote seems to caution against romanticizing love or downplaying its difficulties. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a more profound truth: that love is not merely an emotional state but a dynamic process requiring effort, dedication, and emotional labor. Seraji's statement acknowledges that loving relationships demand sustained attention, compromise, and growth, highlighting the tension between the idealized notion of effortless love and its actual complexities.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset in today's fast-paced world, consider approaching romantic relationships as opportunities for personal growth, not just emotional fulfillment. By acknowledging the laborious aspects of loving, you can cultivate a more realistic, empathetic, and mature approach to partnerships, valuing the process over the idealized outcome.",{"id":60,"quote_text":61,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":62,"source":63,"quote_tag":64,"commentary":9},3244793,"Sometimes I find myself sitting in one spot for hours, staring at nothing, thinking of nothing, feeling nothing, and most disturbingly, caring about nothing.",{"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":68,"has_image":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},838767,"I promptly said that life was a random series of beautifully composed vignettes, loosely tied together by a string of characters and time.",2,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[72],{"id":73,"tag":74},3801114,{"id":75,"tag_name":76},130184,"life-is-like",{"id":78,"quote_text":79,"author_id":5,"source_id":68,"has_image":18,"author":80,"source":81,"quote_tag":82,"commentary":9},685241,"It might take an act of God to convince some Americans that parts of their government are corrupt, but at the same time, you cannot, under any circumstances, persuade an Iranian that his government is not corrupt!",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[83,88,93],{"id":84,"tag":85},3423283,{"id":86,"tag_name":87},615,"politics",{"id":89,"tag":90},3423281,{"id":91,"tag_name":92},9589,"government-corruption",{"id":94,"tag":95},3423285,{"id":96,"tag_name":97},16268,"world-view",{"currentPage":99,"totalPages":68,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":100},1,10]