[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fCCvMXJ58OefPqnG3AtxWZYVb2q-7LWFMHsk4PCHHK6U":3,"$fM6YzPgSGhs9NL8lNY-VOvnVcbK_jft9xLwWvVpI1zkY":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},208447,"Ramona Koval","R",10,null,"ramona-koval",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":79},[14,23,30,36,43,49,55,61,67,73],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":22},3362362,"That’s what is so precious in reading this way – you can plumb the depths of another’s experience while sitting still with a book in your hands.",6,true,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nRamona Koval, an Australian author and journalist, is likely the one who penned these words. Although I couldn't pinpoint a specific source, her biography suggests that she was drawn to the idea of experiencing life through literature. This era of her life (likely late 20th century) was marked by social change, technological advancements, and shifts in traditional ways of storytelling.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nWhat's fascinating about this quote is that it highlights a paradoxical relationship between action and contemplation. Koval suggests that immersing oneself in another person's experience through reading can be as transformative as physically experiencing life itself, yet this process occurs while being stationary with a book. This challenges the conventional notion that true engagement requires direct participation.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nWhen faced with a complex problem or a period of introspection, consider adopting Koval's approach: rather than feeling overwhelmed by the need for immediate action, allow yourself time to sit still and immerse in the stories and experiences of others.",{"id":24,"quote_text":25,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":27,"source":28,"quote_tag":29,"commentary":9},3362352,"I learned that books could be collected, that they were important enough to keep and that a story that seemed to be over could be part of a bigger one.",false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":31,"quote_text":32,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":33,"source":34,"quote_tag":35,"commentary":9},3362348,"True browsing means that we discover shelves and subjects that we could not have anticipated when we started. And the books we read introduce us to other books, as if we are at a magnificent party of the mind, being ever welcomed by new friends to join in the conversation.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":37,"quote_text":38,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":39,"source":40,"quote_tag":41,"commentary":42},3362340,"Can we really be friends with those who don’t love the books that we do? Of course we can, but can we really be friends with those who don’t love any books? I’m not so sure of that.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis enigmatic quote is reminiscent of Ramona Koval's love for literature and her curiosity about the relationships between readers. While we can't pinpoint the exact origin, it's likely from one of her books or essays where she explores the intersections of reading, friendship, and identity.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a profound tension: our affinity for literature is deeply tied to our sense of self, making it challenging to form genuine connections with those who don't share this passion. This paradox highlights that while we can tolerate differences in taste, shared intellectual interests are often an essential foundation for meaningful friendships.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this insight today, modern professionals and creatives might consider the importance of finding like-minded individuals who not only appreciate their work but also engage with the ideas and values that underpin it. By doing so, they can cultivate more authentic relationships that transcend superficial connections.",{"id":44,"quote_text":45,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":26,"author":46,"source":47,"quote_tag":48,"commentary":9},3362337,"Books that recount ordeals are precious because an ordeal is what we most fear, and the stories that tell us how to survive them reassure us about what a human being is capable of, as we survive our own lives every day, our own mysterious journeys.",{"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":26,"author":52,"source":53,"quote_tag":54,"commentary":9},3362324,"It was disconcerting for the novel to seem so different when I re-read it. Of course we are a different person each time we open a book to read it again; we can never really experience it in the same way, just as we can never step into the same stream twice.",{"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":26,"author":58,"source":59,"quote_tag":60,"commentary":9},3362318,"That’s what reading was for my mother, and became for me – a way to escape, a private time machine, a place that began with moral instruction but soon morphed into empathy and imagination.",{"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":26,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":9},3362302,"Not only does art imitate life but life imitates art. Perhaps we not only learn about life from stories, perhaps we make our lives through the stories we tell ourselves about the things that happen to us.",{"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":26,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":9},3362294,"I realised that reading was the key that opened the door to secret lands, strange places and the worlds behind other people’s eyes.",{"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":26,"author":76,"source":77,"quote_tag":78,"commentary":9},3362290,"We read to find out what the world is like, to experience lots of lives, not just the one we live. If it is true that our lives are chaotic and we crave a shape, stories are the shapes that we put on experience, containing all the wisdom in the world. We can even choose what kind of wisdom suits us.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":80,"totalPages":80,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":8},1]