Taking the Bible too literally is a mistake. It should be read as a guidebook of wisdom and insight.
A. J. JACOBSSince I was relatively new to the Bible, I was surprised by the Old Testament God. He’s wrathful, but at other times, He’s incredibly compassionate. He’s not a one-dimensional figure at all.
More A. J. Jacobs Quotes
-
-
Probably 90 percent of our life decisions are powered by the twin engines of inertia and laziness.
A. J. JACOBS -
I know that you should always say yes to adventures or you’ll lead a very dull life.
A. J. JACOBS -
I grew up in a very secular home with no religion at all, so I was starting from zero.
A. J. JACOBS -
I thought religion would eventually wither away and we’d all be worshiping at the altar of science.
A. J. JACOBS -
After a while, if you’re committed, you start to believe in the things in which you’re praying. It’s just cognitive dissonance. You can’t live a completely religious life and not start to have it sink in.
A. J. JACOBS -
The key to making healthy decisions is to respect your future self. Honor him or her. Treat him or her like you would treat a friend or a loved one.
A. J. JACOBS -
When I was with the serpent-handlers in Tennessee, it was the most bizarre method of worship I could think of. Yet when you sit with these people, you can kind of see how it makes sense.
A. J. JACOBS -
The Bible talks a lot about thankfulness, and I’m more thankful than I ever was. I try to concentrate on the hundreds of things that go right in a day, instead of the three or four that go wrong.
A. J. JACOBS -
I am officially Jewish, but I’m Jewish in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant.
A. J. JACOBS -
A 2002 Oxford study showed counting sheep actually delays the onset of sleep. It’s just too dull to stop us from worrying about jobs and spouses.
A. J. JACOBS -
Sometimes miracles occur only when you jump in.
A. J. JACOBS -
I thought religion would make me live with my head in the clouds, but as often as not, it grounds me in this world.
A. J. JACOBS -
There’s a beauty to forgiveness, especially forgiveness that goes beyond rationality. Unconditional love is an illogical notion, but such a great & powerful one
A. J. JACOBS -
My reading list grows exponentially. Every time I read a book, it’ll mention three other books I feel I have to read. It’s like a particularly relentless series of pop-up ads.
A. J. JACOBS -
The best we can do, to paraphrase Pollan, is to eat whole foods, mostly plants, and not too much.
A. J. JACOBS