[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f85h-20jhfjRFC-380Bsl4QMMrEJe03U6SAN6ubw-1w4":3,"$fnjzVsbxIvFbSMtmBN6P543sH2cyx4R1n4ewp_QySEiU":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},31489,"Noah Gordon","N",18,null,"noah-gordon",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":79},[14,22,29,36,43,49,55,61,67,73],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3318441,"The study of medicine was, in its own way, something to love in place of a missing family.",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":28},3318433,"It is just as easy to bring death to man, and I’ve done so. It’s harder to keep hold of life, harder still to maintain a grasp on health. Those are the tasks to which we must keep our minds.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis profound reflection is likely from Noah Gordon's novel \"The Physician\", first published in 1986. At that time, Gordon was reflecting on the human condition through his fictional protagonist, a medieval English barber-surgeon named Rob Cole. It was also an era when medical knowledge and healthcare were vastly different from what we have today.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat lies beneath this quote is a profound observation about the nature of existence. Gordon is not merely commenting on the ease or difficulty of maintaining life; he's highlighting the inherent precariousness of human experience. This paradox reveals that while death is often seen as an endpoint, it can be more manageable than preserving health and vitality.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, professionals and creatives would do well to prioritize not just avoiding harm or failure but actively cultivating strategies for maintaining resilience and well-being. By acknowledging the fragility of life and health, we can focus on nurturing our inner resources and develop more effective coping mechanisms in the face of adversity.",{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":35},3318425,"The four elements: earth, water, fire and air; the qualities recognized by touch: cold, heat, dryness, and moisture; the temperaments: sanguineous, phlegmatic, choleric, and saturnine; the faculties: natural, animal, and vital.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nNoah Gordon, an American author of historical fiction, wrote this passage in his 1985 novel \"The Physician\". At the time, Gordon was drawing from his own experiences as a medical student and his fascination with the intersection of medicine, philosophy, and human nature. This quote reflects his interest in exploring the complexities of human temperament and the natural world.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a nuanced understanding of the human condition, highlighting the intricate balance between opposing forces. By listing the elements, qualities, temperaments, and faculties, Gordon underscores the idea that human beings are composed of multiple, often conflicting, aspects, and that our understanding of ourselves must account for these complexities.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, consider the importance of embracing paradox and tension in your own life and work. Rather than trying to simplify or reduce your thoughts, emotions, and experiences to a single narrative or identity, cultivate a sense of curiosity and acceptance towards the multiple, often contradictory, aspects of yourself. By acknowledging and exploring these complexities, you can develop a more nuanced and authentic understanding of your own nature.",{"id":37,"quote_text":38,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":39,"source":40,"quote_tag":41,"commentary":42},3318417,"Have you considered,” Rob said slowly, “how each faith claims that it alone has God’s heart and ear? We, you, and Islam – each vows it is the true religion. Can it be that we’re all three wrong?” “Perhaps we’re all three right,” Mirdin said.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is likely from Noah Gordon's novel \"The Physician,\" published in 1986. The novel is a historical fiction tale that explores the intersection of medicine, faith, and culture during the Middle Ages. At the time of writing, Gordon was likely reflecting on the complexities of human spirituality and the ways in which different cultures and faiths navigate their understanding of the divine.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe hidden insight here is that the author is not merely highlighting the diversity of faiths, but rather, he is suggesting that each faith has a unique and valid perspective on the divine. The tension lies in the fact that these perspectives are often mutually exclusive, yet Mirdin's response implies that they may all be true in some way. This paradox highlights the complexity of human spirituality and the limitations of language in capturing the essence of faith.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, consider the value of embracing multiple perspectives and approaches in your own spiritual or philosophical journey. Rather than viewing other faiths or worldviews as inferior or wrong, try to see them as complementary threads in the rich tapestry of human understanding. By doing so, you may discover new insights and deepen your own understanding of the world.",{"id":44,"quote_text":45,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":46,"source":47,"quote_tag":48,"commentary":9},3318407,"I tell myself that some might be saved if I knew more.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":50,"quote_text":51,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":52,"source":53,"quote_tag":54,"commentary":9},3318403,"Mankind is close to savagery and must live by rules. If not, we would sink into our own animal nature and perish.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":56,"quote_text":57,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":58,"source":59,"quote_tag":60,"commentary":9},3318394,"You must never forget that dealing with a monarch is not like dealing with an ordinary man,” Ibn Sina said. “A king is not like you or me. He drops a hand carelessly and someone like us is put to death. Or he wiggles a finger and someone is allowed to live. That is absolute power, and no man born of woman is able to resist it. It drives even the best of monarchs slightly mad.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":62,"quote_text":63,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":9},3318386,"Life is glorious, but it can be counted on to be cruel.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":68,"quote_text":69,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":9},3318375,"Medicine is like the slow raising of masonry,” Rob said. “We are fortunate, in a lifetime, to be able to lay a single brick. If we can explain the disease, someone yet unborn may devise a cure.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":74,"quote_text":75,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":76,"source":77,"quote_tag":78,"commentary":9},3318362,"To hold a human soul in the palm of your hand like a pebble. To feel somebody slip away, yet by your actions to bring her back! Not even a king had such power.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":80,"totalPages":81,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":82},1,2,10]