[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fWY-rdSXr03xc6E2-vo4x2lc8ITAzQ4Qyuq8GtgLRCLw":3,"$fRMK-Jjg4s765hRkOiIDtcAV-C5kufzUUYijcoavpGwU":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},168060,"William Mathews","W",17,null,"william-mathews",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":121},[14,28,39,50,61,72,81,90,101,110],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":27},2116437,"The first law of success is concentration - to bed all the energies to one point, and to go directly to that point, looking neither to the right nor the left.",4,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22],{"id":23,"tag":24},5102144,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},1107,"focus","**The Backstory**\nThis quote is attributed to William Mathews, an American painter and artist from the late 19th century. During his time, Mathews was known for his emphasis on discipline and dedication in artistic pursuits. The era in which he lived saw a rise in interest in Eastern philosophies and spiritual practices that emphasized focus and concentration.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nAt first glance, this quote seems to advocate for a singular-minded approach to success. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a subtle tension between the desire for efficiency and the need for exploration. Mathews is cautioning against getting bogged down in distractions, but also implicitly acknowledging that an overly narrow focus can lead to stagnation.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, focus on setting clear goals and priorities, then allocate your time and energy accordingly. However, simultaneously leave room for flexibility and exploration by scheduling regular \"right-left\" sessions: short breaks from your main task to explore tangential ideas or engage with others in a more relaxed atmosphere.",{"id":29,"quote_text":30,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":31,"source":32,"quote_tag":33,"commentary":9},2116430,"Proverbs should be sold in pairs, a single one being but a half truth.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[34],{"id":35,"tag":36},5102136,{"id":37,"tag_name":38},290330,"pairs",{"id":40,"quote_text":41,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":42,"source":43,"quote_tag":44,"commentary":9},2116424,"[A]s if it were not the masterful will which subjugates the forces of nature to be the genii of the lamp... that forces a life-thought into a pregnant word or phrase, and sends it ringing through the ages!",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[45],{"id":46,"tag":47},5102129,{"id":48,"tag_name":49},981,"phrases",{"id":51,"quote_text":52,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":53,"source":54,"quote_tag":55,"commentary":9},2116418,"It cannot be too often repeated that it is not helps, but obstacles, not facilities, but difficulties that make men.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[56],{"id":57,"tag":58},5102123,{"id":59,"tag_name":60},5702,"helping",{"id":62,"quote_text":63,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":9},2116411,"In the world a man lives in his own age; in solitude in all ages.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[67],{"id":68,"tag":69},5102118,{"id":70,"tag_name":71},326,"men",{"id":73,"quote_text":74,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":9},2116406,"What a man does is the real test of what a man is.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[78],{"id":79,"tag":80},5102111,{"id":70,"tag_name":71},{"id":82,"quote_text":83,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":84,"source":85,"quote_tag":86,"commentary":9},2116399,"No man ever sailed over exactly the same route that another sailed over before him; every man who starts on the ocean of life arches his sails to an untried breeze.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[87],{"id":88,"tag":89},5102105,{"id":70,"tag_name":71},{"id":91,"quote_text":92,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":93,"source":94,"quote_tag":95,"commentary":9},2116394,"So powerfully does fortune appear to sway the destinies of men, putting a silver spoon into one man's mouth, and a wooden one into another's, that some of the most sagacious of men, as Cardinal Mazarin and Rothschild, seem to have been inclined to regard luck as the first element of worldly success; experience, sagacity, energy, and enterprise as nothing, if linked to an unlucky star.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[96],{"id":97,"tag":98},5102098,{"id":99,"tag_name":100},3090,"stars",{"id":102,"quote_text":103,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":104,"source":105,"quote_tag":106,"commentary":9},2116389,"As with the acquisition, so with the use of money; they way in which a man spends it is often one of the surest tests of character.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[107],{"id":108,"tag":109},5102093,{"id":70,"tag_name":71},{"id":111,"quote_text":112,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":113,"source":114,"quote_tag":115,"commentary":9},2116386,"All maxims have their antagonist maxims; proverbs should be sold in pairs, a single one being but a half truth",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[116],{"id":117,"tag":118},5102089,{"id":119,"tag_name":120},25034,"antagonist",{"currentPage":122,"totalPages":123,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":124},1,2,10]