[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fh4wXBIjGzpP4-6RnCFYj7k5ix03Sc4D2KNV6G65Bi94":3,"$fGT40w6kfIdhpWMsT08J9tvYa5f90zPl5uGEQm-JPVVo":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},67628,"Stanley Elkin","S",28,null,"stanley-elkin",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":78},[14,22,28,35,41,47,53,60,66,72],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3949770,"I look eight years older than everybody.",7,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":9},3949764,"Like most people of my generation, I fell in love with the philosophy of existentialism.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":29,"quote_text":30,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},3439789,"Not just the celibacy thing but because he has God’s ear, a line on the mysteries. That’s impressive to girls.",6,{"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":31,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},3439785,"Even the sky a hybrid – here clean and black and starred, there roiling with a brusque signature of cloud or piled in strata like folded linen or the interior of rock.",{"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":31,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":9},3439779,"It’s like everything else. The price of Torahs is higher in Alaska.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":48,"quote_text":49,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":50,"source":51,"quote_tag":52,"commentary":9},3439771,"I do not do schtick. What I do are organized routines and connected schtick – schtick upon schtick upon schtick until we have a piece of carpentry.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":54,"quote_text":55,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":56,"source":57,"quote_tag":58,"commentary":59},3439769,"It’s fine, precise, detailed work, the infinitely small motor management of diamond cutters and safecrackers that we do in our heads.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis enigmatic quote is likely from Stanley Elkin's novel \"The Living End\" (1979), where he explores the world of academia and the inner lives of its inhabitants. As a novelist, Elkin was known for his introspective portrayals of human nature, often finding the extraordinary in the mundane. During this period, Elkin was grappling with the complexities of identity, morality, and the human condition.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nOn the surface, the quote seems to describe the meticulous attention to detail required by professionals like diamond cutters and safecrackers. However, it also reveals a deeper paradox: that the pursuit of precision and control can become an all-consuming obsession, blurring the lines between intellectual curiosity and compulsive behavior. This tension highlights the potential dark side of expertise, where dedication to one's craft can morph into an unhealthy fixation on minute details.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset in a modern context, consider the importance of balancing meticulous attention to detail with a broader perspective on life. As professionals and creatives, we must recognize when our pursuit of precision becomes an end in itself, rather than a means to achieve a richer understanding of the world around us. By doing so, we can avoid getting stuck in the \"infinitely small motor management\" of our own minds and cultivate a more nuanced approach to our work.",{"id":61,"quote_text":62,"author_id":5,"source_id":31,"has_image":18,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":9},3439766,"But it’s hard to talk about art. Maybe there should be a law against it, some First Amendment gag order like crying fire in a crowded theater.",{"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":31,"has_image":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},3439747,"I say “every so often” but it’s more frequent than that.",{"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":31,"has_image":18,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":9},3439717,"The peculiar dignity of men seen eating alone in restaurants on national holidays.",{"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},1,3,10]