[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fJO_mWPt9x1H2qXmzOkuosTEzqXxPvANCQVTfRrChdKM":3,"$f94m-OuqPDNIfW8ojaZ30Z83n6R6-yTe1uGzhgTGAdgM":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},7908,"Steven Hall","S",52,null,"steven-hall",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":93},[14,23,29,35,41,47,53,59,71,82],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":22},3448772,"It’s a stark thought that when we die most of us will leave behind uneaten biscuits, unused coffee, half toilet rolls, half cartons of milk in the fridge to go sour; that everyday functional things will outlive us and prove that we weren’t ready to go; that we weren’t smart or knowing or heroic; that we were just animals whose animal bodies stopped working without any sort of schedule or any consent from us.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis poignant reflection by Steven Hall, an English novelist known for his surreal and often humorous works such as \"The Raw Shark Texts,\" likely stems from his fascination with the human condition and our relationship with mortality. The era of Hall's life relevant to this sentiment is marked by a growing awareness of environmental concerns and the impermanence of material possessions. This passage may have been written during a time when Hall was reflecting on the transience of human existence and the impact of consumerism.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe counter-intuitive truth in this quote lies in its critique of our societal obsession with productivity and preparedness, particularly in relation to death. By highlighting the mundane and often overlooked items that outlast us, Hall subtly suggests that our attempts at control and legacy are ultimately futile against the inevitability of mortality.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, modern professionals and creatives would do well to adopt a more humble and accepting relationship with their own mortality. By acknowledging the impermanence of both themselves and their creations, they can focus on producing work that is meaningful in the present moment rather than trying to secure an afterlife through material or intellectual legacy.",{"id":24,"quote_text":25,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":9},3448766,"She had a disapproving look that was just a little exaggerated; if you look carefully at that look, you can spot a smile that hangs around its edges and usually draw it out.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},3448739,"Timelessness again, the house like a secret temple as dust built up on things that were never meant to have dust on them – Clee’s toothbrush and hairdryer and left-out-of-the-box CDs and deodorant on the bathroom window ledge. Ordinary things carefully kept in place because the last person to touch them would never put a cup down on the edge of the table again, or ever leave a book half-read.",{"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},3448719,"If you want your boomerang to come back, first you’ve got to throw it.",{"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":9},3448691,"Already the dream was coming apart, its bright silk strands unwinding into nebulous emotions, little coloured clouds of feeling being dispersed by the movement of my waking-up mind. This is how it’s always been with Light Bulb Fragment dreams; by the time I’m fully awake, they’re gone.",{"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":17,"has_image":18,"author":50,"source":51,"quote_tag":52,"commentary":9},3448668,"Beer. It always seems like such a good idea at the time, doesn’t it? What’s worse is beer seems like an even better idea after you’ve had some beer.",{"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":17,"has_image":18,"author":56,"source":57,"quote_tag":58,"commentary":9},3448638,"Every single cell in the human body replaces itself over a period of seven years. That means there’s not even the smallest part of you now that was part of you seven years ago.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":60,"quote_text":61,"author_id":5,"source_id":62,"has_image":18,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":9},1702909,"We only see starlight because all the stars are bleeding.",4,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[66],{"id":67,"tag":68},4694947,{"id":69,"tag_name":70},3090,"stars",{"id":72,"quote_text":73,"author_id":5,"source_id":62,"has_image":18,"author":74,"source":75,"quote_tag":76,"commentary":9},1702908,"Beer. It always seems like such a good idea at the time, doesn't it? What's worse is beer seems like an even better idea after you've had some beer.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[77],{"id":78,"tag":79},4694944,{"id":80,"tag_name":81},2130,"ideas",{"id":83,"quote_text":84,"author_id":5,"source_id":62,"has_image":18,"author":85,"source":86,"quote_tag":87,"commentary":9},1702905,"Texas has no system in place, and what you have is chaos.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[88],{"id":89,"tag":90},4694942,{"id":91,"tag_name":92},28268,"texas",{"currentPage":94,"totalPages":17,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":95},1,10]