[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fYdTB3K42QEI4UuGDI5RE4Fxr2K9NE_049vUU5ve7pCw":3,"$fe_zEuZPWNi0bd4k4QAke0A94svnB_65pbNrFRyupoPE":20},{"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},8183,"Will Schwalbe","W",91,null,"will-schwalbe",[12,16],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":15},177,"books",7,{"tag_id":17,"tag_name":18,"tag_count":19},52,"reading",6,{"quotes":21,"pagination":85},[22,29,36,42,48,54,60,67,73,79],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":9},3508770,"Mom went on to tell me, as we sat there, that she really believed your personal life was personal. Secrets, she felt, rarely explained or excused anything in real life, or were even all that interesting. People shared too much, she said, not too little. She thought you should be able to keep your private life private for any reason or for no reason.",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":19,"has_image":25,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":35},3508769,"Books have played a role in almost every one of the world’s great civil and human rights movements, but only because people who read them decided to act. Reading brings with it responsibility.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is from Will Schwalbe's book \"The End of Your Life Book Club,\" a memoir about his relationship with his mother, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The book chronicles the time they spent together during her illness, reading and discussing books that became a source of comfort and inspiration for both of them.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat most people miss in this quote is the subtle yet powerful notion that the act of reading itself is not transformative; it's the responsibility to act on what one has read that brings about change. The author is highlighting the inherent tension between being an informed and passive reader versus actively engaging with the world around us.\n\n**How to Use This**\nWhen approaching a book or article, resist the temptation to simply absorb information without thinking critically about how it applies to your own life or work. Instead, ask yourself: what responsibilities does this new knowledge impose upon me? How can I use this understanding to make a positive impact in my community or profession?",{"id":37,"quote_text":38,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":39,"source":40,"quote_tag":41,"commentary":9},3508768,"And there’s something you can always tell people who want to learn more about the world and who don’t know how to find a cause to support. You can always tell them to read.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":43,"quote_text":44,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":45,"source":46,"quote_tag":47,"commentary":9},3508767,"I particularly like that last phrase,” Mom said. “About protecting your own happiness.",{"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":19,"has_image":25,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":9},3508766,"He starts to whisper a prayer. “Whatever beings there are, may they be free from suffering. Whatever beings there are, may they be free from enmity. Whatever beings there are, may they be free from hurtfulness. Whatever beings there are, may they be free from ill health. Whatever beings there are, may they be able to protect their own happiness.",{"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":19,"has_image":25,"author":57,"source":58,"quote_tag":59,"commentary":9},3508765,"Were you sad to leave Cambridge?” I asked her. She was, she said. Very sad. But she was also looking forward to being back in New York. “The world is complicated,” she added. “You don’t have to have one emotion at a time.",{"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":19,"has_image":25,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":66},3508764,"Good books often answer questions you didn’t even know you wanted to ask.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nWill Schwalbe's words, \"Good books often answer questions you didn’t even know you wanted to ask,\" likely originate from his experiences as a book lover and writer. As an author who has written about the transformative power of reading in his life, including through his relationship with his mother during her battle with Alzheimer's, this quote reflects on the profound impact of literature on our lives.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nWhat Schwalbe is saying here challenges the conventional notion that a good book should be one that directly addresses our current concerns or solves our existing problems. Instead, he suggests that truly great books often pose new questions, spark curiosity, and sometimes even create unease, as they challenge our perspectives and understanding of ourselves.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nWhen approaching a new book or project, don't just seek answers; be open to having your questions changed by the material. This requires a mindset shift from merely seeking solutions to being willing to engage with complexity, uncertainty, and sometimes even discomfort, as it is through this process that we can come to deeper understandings of ourselves and our world.",{"id":68,"quote_text":69,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":9},3508762,"Lin Yutang also believed that reading is an art. One chapter of the Importance of Living is devoted to “the Art of Reading.” Lin writes that, “the man who has not the habit of reading is imprisoned in his immediate world, in respect to time and space. His life falls into a set routine; he is limited to contact and conversation with a few friends and acquaintances, and he sees only what happens in his immediate neighborhood.",{"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":19,"has_image":25,"author":76,"source":77,"quote_tag":78,"commentary":9},3508760,"I read to live. I read for life.",{"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":19,"has_image":25,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":9},3508757,"You should tell your family every day that you love them. And make sure they know that you’re proud of them too.",{"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":87},1,10]