what does this quote mean
To write it, it took three months, to conceive it took three minutes; to collect the data in it- all my life.”
I guess collecting data can be very time consuming.
He is writing about his life experiences, and that would take an entire life time.
The quote is expressing the idea that the process of writing something, in this case, took three months to physically put into words. However, the inspiration or idea behind the writing came to him in just three minutes. The significance here is that sometimes the act of writing and organizing one's thoughts can take a long time, but the knowledge, experiences, and information that go into the writing are gathered and accumulated over a lifetime.
In other words, the quote suggests that while it may take a relatively short amount of time to actually write something down, the substance and depth of what is being written about come from a lifetime of observation, learning, and experiences.
By collecting data throughout their life, the author means that they have been gathering information, acquiring knowledge, and gaining personal experiences over a long period of time. These valuable insights are then drawn upon when writing their piece. The quote emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning and personal growth, as well as the significance of one's accumulated wisdom and experiences in the creative process.