[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f4bS4ziQT3qPsZWV0EH_rgWm0pO4rAlQihjYUafuwYN8":3,"$fzT7syCy4h3qIlhW_D0CzShusqaneniw9STK_PoWwllg":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},23433,"Melissa Coleman","M",8,null,"melissa-coleman",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":145},[14,22,29,50,66,80,98,114],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3278473,"The very nature of paradise is that it will be lost.",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":25,"has_image":18,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":9},776057,"Later when I thought of the chickens, one of those rare pale blue eggs rose up into my throat. The chickens had been part of our family, and the egg in my throat was the feeling of something missing. It was hard and smooth and heavy, but also so fragile it might break and make me cry. It was the feeling of growing out of a favorite shirt, milk spilled on the floor, the last bit of honey in the jar, falling apple blossoms. It was the lump in the throat behind everything beautiful in life.",2,{"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},489566,"Though his health and family had been broken in the process, he'd found his purpose in life — to share the ancient key discovered anew in the garden: if we feed the earth, it will feed us.I see that is the secret, too, to living. Though the earth demands its sacrifices, spring will always return",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[35,40,45],{"id":36,"tag":37},2751847,{"id":38,"tag_name":39},1961,"seasons",{"id":41,"tag":42},2751845,{"id":43,"tag_name":44},3045,"life-and-death",{"id":46,"tag":47},2751846,{"id":48,"tag_name":49},7442,"nature-of-things",{"id":51,"quote_text":52,"author_id":5,"source_id":25,"has_image":18,"author":53,"source":54,"quote_tag":55,"commentary":9},425917,"The reality of this way of life is that you have got to keep at it even when you don't feel like it[...] Otherwise you won't make it. It's no life for dabblers. You've got to dig it wholeheartedly, for if you don't, you just simply won't be happy nor successful at what you do.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[56,61],{"id":57,"tag":58},2452805,{"id":59,"tag_name":60},24,"life",{"id":62,"tag":63},2452804,{"id":64,"tag_name":65},1230,"hardwork",{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":25,"has_image":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},400854,"Choose your enemies carefully [...] for you will become more like them than anyone else.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[72,75],{"id":73,"tag":74},2330763,{"id":59,"tag_name":60},{"id":76,"tag":77},2330762,{"id":78,"tag_name":79},1117,"enemies",{"id":81,"quote_text":82,"author_id":5,"source_id":25,"has_image":83,"author":84,"source":85,"quote_tag":86,"commentary":97},143768,"Books,' Papa often said, 'are the truest friends.",true,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[87,92],{"id":88,"tag":89},928901,{"id":90,"tag_name":91},130,"friends",{"id":93,"tag":94},928900,{"id":95,"tag_name":96},177,"books","**The Backstory**\nMelissa Coleman, a 19th-century American writer and homemaker, likely uttered these words during her daily life at the New Thought Settlement in San Francisco, where she was part of a community that valued spirituality and personal growth. This era saw a significant shift towards intellectualism and self-improvement, with people seeking solace and guidance through written works.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhile seemingly straightforward, Coleman's statement belies a deeper truth: that books are not just passive sources of knowledge but also catalysts for introspection and self-reflection. In recognizing the true friendliness of books, she highlights their capacity to foster empathy and understanding without the demands of human relationships.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, modern professionals can benefit from a \"literary retreat,\" where they intentionally dedicate time to reading and reflecting on the experiences and perspectives presented in books. By doing so, they cultivate an inner world that is more receptive to new ideas and less reliant on external validation.",{"id":99,"quote_text":100,"author_id":5,"source_id":25,"has_image":18,"author":101,"source":102,"quote_tag":103,"commentary":9},114883,"Work as well as you can and be kind[.]",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[104,109],{"id":105,"tag":106},771814,{"id":107,"tag_name":108},61,"work",{"id":110,"tag":111},771812,{"id":112,"tag_name":113},2844,"be-kind",{"id":115,"quote_text":116,"author_id":5,"source_id":25,"has_image":18,"author":117,"source":118,"quote_tag":119,"commentary":9},105901,"God was something I did not understand the way kids who went to church did. They said God was a man in the sky with white hair and a beard like Santa. This seemed strange to me. When I thought of God, I imagined only mist over the pond, a sliver of moon in a dark sky, scatterings of stars, birdsong.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[120,125,130,135,140],{"id":121,"tag":122},720221,{"id":123,"tag_name":124},58,"universe",{"id":126,"tag":127},720220,{"id":128,"tag_name":129},111,"spirituality",{"id":131,"tag":132},720217,{"id":133,"tag_name":134},255,"god",{"id":136,"tag":137},720219,{"id":138,"tag_name":139},1467,"spiritual",{"id":141,"tag":142},720218,{"id":143,"tag_name":144},7725,"mystical",{"currentPage":146,"totalPages":146,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":147},1,10]