[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f24_wh3WJlu-QjpYGGlCp0AN1n1K1o2PCX9xORmzDVs0":3,"$fUtWwqZlqL8kyf9ICtf8BmO5AiHGpPO3O57LbdPwYHFE":19},{"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},15417,"Thomas De Quincey","T",108,null,"thomas-de-quincey",[12,16],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":15},202,"murder",6,{"tag_id":17,"tag_name":18,"tag_count":15},326,"men",{"quotes":20,"pagination":85},[21,29,35,42,48,55,61,67,73,79],{"id":22,"quote_text":23,"author_id":5,"source_id":24,"has_image":25,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":9},3970500,"Man should forget his anger before he lies down to sleep.",7,false,{"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":15,"has_image":25,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},3476305,"Oh! just, subtle, and mighty opium! that to the hearts of poor and rich alike, for the wounds that will never heal, and for ‘the pangs that tempt the spirit to rebel,’ bringest an assuaging balm; eloquent opium! that with thy potent rhetoric stealest away the purposes of wrath; and to the guilty man, for one night givest back the hopes of his youth, and hands washed pure of blood...",{"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":15,"has_image":25,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":41},3476303,"Under our present enormous accumulation of books, I do affirm that a most miserable distraction of choice must be very generally incident to the times; that the symptoms of it are in fact very prevalent, and that one of the chief symptoms is an enormous ‘gluttonism’ for books.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis lamentation on the \"enormous accumulation of books\" and its distracting effects resonates with Thomas De Quincey's experiences during his late 19th-century England. At that time, literary culture was experiencing an explosion in book production, fueled by technological advancements and growing literacy rates. As someone who had struggled with opium addiction, De Quincey may have been particularly aware of the potential pitfalls of overindulgence in intellectual pursuits.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nDe Quincey's statement reveals a paradoxical relationship between abundance and distraction. On one hand, having access to an overwhelming amount of information can be liberating; on the other, it can lead to a state of paralysis, where individuals are unable to make meaningful choices due to the sheer weight of options.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo avoid succumbing to this \"gluttonism\" in our own era, modern professionals and creatives can adopt a strategy of deliberate curating: rather than overwhelming themselves with an endless stream of information, they should focus on carefully selecting a subset of resources that truly add value to their work. By doing so, they can cultivate a more discerning and productive relationship with the abundance of knowledge available today.",{"id":43,"quote_text":44,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":25,"author":45,"source":46,"quote_tag":47,"commentary":9},3476300,"The silence was more profound than that of midnight; and to me the silence of a summer morning is more touching than all other silence.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":49,"quote_text":50,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":25,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":54},3476295,"Flowers that are so pathetic in their beauty, frail as the clouds, and in their coloring as gorgeous as the heavens, had through thousands of years been the heritage of children – honored as the jewelry of God...",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis poignant quote is attributed to Thomas De Quincey, an English essayist and poet, best known for his memoir \"Confessions of an English Opium-Eater.\" Written in the early 19th century, De Quincey's work often explored the intersection of beauty, mortality, and the human experience. At the time, De Quincey was grappling with the loss of his mother and the fragility of life, themes that are reflected in this quote.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a counter-intuitive truth about the nature of beauty and mortality. On the surface, it appears to be a romantic tribute to the fleeting beauty of flowers. However, upon closer examination, it suggests that the very fragility and impermanence of these flowers are what make them worthy of reverence and celebration. This paradox highlights the idea that our appreciation for beauty is often tied to its mortality, and that the passing of time is what lends value to the present moment.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, consider embracing the impermanence of your creative endeavors or professional achievements. Instead of striving for eternal success, focus on cultivating a sense of reverence for the present moment, and recognize that the fleeting nature of your work is what makes it precious.",{"id":56,"quote_text":57,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":25,"author":58,"source":59,"quote_tag":60,"commentary":9},3476290,"Ideas! There is no occasion for them; all that class of ideas which can be available in such a case has a language of representative feelings.",{"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":15,"has_image":25,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":9},3476277,"For my own part, without breach of truth or modesty, I may affirm that my life has been, on the whole, the life of a philosopher: from my birth I was made an intellectual creature, and intellectual in the highest sense my pursuits and pleasures have been, even from my schoolboy days.",{"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":15,"has_image":25,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":9},3476268,"Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a wintry fireside; candles at four o’clock, warm hearthrugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies to the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly without.",{"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":15,"has_image":25,"author":76,"source":77,"quote_tag":78,"commentary":9},3476243,"I stood checked for a moment – awe, not fear, fell upon me – and whist I stood, a solemn wind began to blow, the most mournful that ever ear heard. Mournful! That is saying nothing. It was a wind that had swept the fields of mortality for a hundred centuries.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":80,"quote_text":81,"author_id":5,"source_id":15,"has_image":25,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":9},3476218,"A long, loud, and canorous peal of laughter.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":86,"totalPages":87,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":88},1,11,10]