[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fjhHywtsaYjDA4OM_XY-lTNOlvZJDDzKza2NwqoOZ2W8":3,"$f0DtauJUpt8O3ciOj_C0AbKqKA1ZXAbUVrPLYE4vWU1g":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},42927,"Simon Barnes","S",18,null,"simon-barnes",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":78},[14,22,29,35,41,48,54,60,66,72],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3432696,"What politician ever thinks beyond 4 or 5 years? But such thinking is hopelessly inadequate for the big questions that involve the fabric of the world we live in.",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},3432690,"I don’t go birdwatching. I am birdwatching. Birdwatching is a state of being, not an activity. It doesn’t depend on place, on equipment, on specific purpose, like, say, fishing. It is not a matter of organic trainspotting; it is about life and it is about living.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nSimon Barnes, a renowned British sports journalist and birdwatcher, penned this quote in his 2007 book \"How to Be a Better Birdwatcher.\" During this time, Barnes was reflecting on his lifelong passion for birdwatching, having grown up in a family that valued the outdoors and wildlife. His words capture a moment of introspection, where he distills the essence of birdwatching beyond its practical aspects.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nBarnes's quote reveals a paradox: birdwatching, an activity often associated with external conditions (equipment, location, purpose), is actually a state of being that transcends these factors. This paradox highlights the tension between the structured, goal-oriented approach to life and the more fluid, experiential way of being that Barnes advocates for.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset, modern professionals and creatives can benefit from shifting their focus from achieving specific outcomes to cultivating a sense of presence and awareness in their daily lives. By embracing the idea that their work or passion is not just an activity, but a state of being, they can tap into a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment that goes beyond mere productivity.",{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},3432684,"Penalties are not football. They are not even as television people keep telling us, great drama. They are cheap melodrama.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},3432677,"Humans lived for several million years as fully wild beings: only in the last 10, 000 did we invent agriculture; only in the last couple of centuries did we invent industry. We are a species that has spent 99 per cent of its history as hunter-gatherers. We haven’t had time for our unconscious minds and our unconscious needs to have changed. If you like, our souls have not changed, and this is true whether or not we believe that we have them.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":47},3432668,"Acquiring the trick of listening to birds will teach you how better to enjoy life and how better to endure it.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nSimon Barnes, a renowned British sports writer and naturalist, penned these words in his 2007 book \"How to Be a Better Birdwatcher\". At that time, Barnes was likely reflecting on his own experiences as a young man, struggling to find balance between his passion for nature and the demands of his profession. His words capture the essence of his journey, where he discovered that paying attention to the natural world helped him navigate life's challenges.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nBarnes' quote reveals a counter-intuitive truth: that the ability to listen to birds (or, more broadly, to pay attention to one's surroundings) is not just a hobby or a skill, but a key to both enjoyment and resilience. In essence, Barnes is saying that the very act of being present in nature allows us to better cope with life's difficulties, rather than simply providing a distraction from them.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, take a cue from Barnes and make space in your life for activities that allow you to listen to the world around you – whether it's a morning walk, a quiet moment in the garden, or simply paying attention to the sounds of the city. By cultivating this ability to be present, you'll find that you're better equipped to navigate life's challenges and find joy in the everyday moments that often go unnoticed.",{"id":49,"quote_text":50,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":9},3432660,"Sport is something that does not matter, but is performed as if it did. In that contradiction lies its beauty.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":55,"quote_text":56,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":57,"source":58,"quote_tag":59,"commentary":9},3432652,"We can only truly be civilised people when we have regular and meaningful contact with the wild world.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":61,"quote_text":62,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":9},3432636,"It is a truism that no row is ever about what it is about.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},3432626,"Football is based on desperation. All clubs are desperate in one form or another – desperate to succeed, desperate to survive, desperate to stay where they are, desperate that things get no worse, desperate to arrest the slide.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":73,"quote_text":74,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":9},3432615,"A living countryside is not a luxury but a necessity for the human population; if you let conservation go hang until your pockets are jingling there will be a lot less to conserve.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":79,"totalPages":80,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":81},1,2,10]