[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fsyMdDu6XFTeUK-Un0yWYzNKgQKJFkz2Ok_k0q5zKH4g":3,"$fRNR01cxeBU7I2QDMP1udD9FnlmChy9SbxHJy0qewn7A":23},{"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},705,"Sara Gruen","S",182,null,"sara-gruen",[12,16,19],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":15},24,"life",6,{"tag_id":17,"tag_name":18,"tag_count":15},56,"thinking",{"tag_id":20,"tag_name":21,"tag_count":22},460,"fiction",5,{"quotes":24,"pagination":88},[25,32,38,44,51,57,63,69,75,81],{"id":26,"quote_text":27,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":29,"source":30,"quote_tag":31,"commentary":9},3413414,"I came home poorer by several hundred dollars and richer by more books than I could carry.",false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":33,"quote_text":34,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":35,"source":36,"quote_tag":37,"commentary":9},3413413,"In your thirties something strange starts to happen. It’s a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation. How old are you? Oh, I’m – you start confidently, but then you stop. You were going to say thirty-three, but you’re not. You’re thirty-five. And then you’re bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course, but it’s decades before you admit it.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":39,"quote_text":40,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":41,"source":42,"quote_tag":43,"commentary":9},3413411,"I’m truly grateful for my microwave, which allows me to easily clarify butter, steam vegetables, and – when I am really lazy – feed my three kids in less than five minutes.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":45,"quote_text":46,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":47,"source":48,"quote_tag":49,"commentary":50},3413409,"You work hard on a book and throw it out there and then it’s beyond your control.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis poignant quote is likely from Sara Gruen's 2006 novel \"Water for Elephants\", but its essence can be applied more broadly to the author's experiences as a writer. At that time, Gruen was grappling with the reality of publishing and the vulnerability that comes with sharing one's creative work with the public.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nThe counter-intuitive truth in this quote lies in acknowledging the tension between control and surrender. On one hand, authors pour their hearts and souls into their work, craving recognition and appreciation for their efforts. However, once a book is released, it takes on a life of its own, subject to the whims of readers, critics, and the market.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, consider embracing the paradox of creative ownership: while you must invest yourself fully in your work, you also need to be willing to let go of control once it's released into the world. This means trusting that your best efforts will resonate with others, even if the outcome is unpredictable.\n\nBy internalizing this lesson, writers and creatives can free themselves from the anxiety of over-investing emotional capital in a single project, allowing for more flexibility and resilience in their artistic pursuits.",{"id":52,"quote_text":53,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":54,"source":55,"quote_tag":56,"commentary":9},3413407,"The business of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” was one of the aphorisms his boss liked to quote.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":58,"quote_text":59,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":60,"source":61,"quote_tag":62,"commentary":9},3413406,"Always carry a large flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite, and further, always carry a small snake.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":64,"quote_text":65,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":66,"source":67,"quote_tag":68,"commentary":9},3413404,"It’s as though I’ve been sleepwalking and suddenly woken to find myself here.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":70,"quote_text":71,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":72,"source":73,"quote_tag":74,"commentary":9},3413403,"Sometimes the monotony of bingo and sing alongs, ancient dusty people parked in the hallway in wheelchairs makes me long for death, particularly when – remember that I’m one of the ancient dusty people, filed away like some worthless chotski.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":76,"quote_text":77,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":78,"source":79,"quote_tag":80,"commentary":9},3413401,"I am further back, surrounded on all sides by wailing men, their faces shiny with tears. Uncle Al promised three dollars and a bottle of Canadian whiskey to the man who puts on the best show. You’ve never seen such grief – even the dogs were howling.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":82,"quote_text":83,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":28,"author":84,"source":85,"quote_tag":86,"commentary":87},3413400,"She blamed the lack of real flowers on both weather and the war, and instead put four or five pieces of coal in glass bowls, added water, salt, and ammonia, before finally pouring a mixture of violet and blue ink over them. It was a complete mystery to me how this alchemy would result in anything resembling flowers, but they were “blooming” within the hour.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is from Sara Gruen's novel \"Water for Elephants,\" which explores the themes of creativity, resilience, and the human spirit during the Great Depression. The passage is set during World War II, a time of widespread scarcity and hardship, yet also of great artistic and cultural innovation. The protagonist, Rosie, is a circus performer who finds solace in creating makeshift flowers from coal and ink.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nOn the surface, Rosie's creation of artificial flowers seems like a desperate attempt to fill the void left by the lack of real ones. However, the quote reveals a deeper truth: that the process of creating something beautiful from nothing is not just about substitution, but about transformation. By combining disparate elements like coal, water, salt, ammonia, and ink, Rosie is not just replacing flowers, but alchemizing them into something new and unexpected.\n\n**How to Use This**\nIn times of scarcity or constraint, instead of simply settling for substitutes or compromises, try to find ways to transform and elevate the resources you have. This mindset can help you unlock new possibilities and create something truly remarkable from the most unlikely of materials.",{"currentPage":89,"totalPages":90,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":91},1,19,10]