I’m not a fan of ‘write what you know.’ If you don’t know, find out. I knew nothing about the Bible before I started writing ‘The Year of Living Biblically.’ That was kind of the point – to learn.
A. J. JACOBSRelated Topics
I’m not a fan of ‘write what you know.’ If you don’t know, find out. I knew nothing about the Bible before I started writing ‘The Year of Living Biblically.’ That was kind of the point – to learn.
A. J. JACOBS
I’ve never before been so aware of the thousands of little good things, the thousands of things that go right every day.
A. J. JACOBS
Very few people changed the world by sitting on their couch.
A. J. JACOBS
Jealousy is a useless, time-wasting emotion that’s eating me alive.
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
I’d recommend learning to accept rejection. Become friends with rejection. Be nice to rejection, because it’s a huge part of being a writer, no matter where you are in your career.
A. J. JACOBS
Probably 90 percent of our life decisions are powered by the twin engines of inertia and laziness.
A. J. JACOBS
It comes back to the old question: How can the Bible be so wise in some places and so barbaric in others? And why should we put any faith in a book that includes such brutality?
A. J. JACOBS
I was what they call ‘skinny fat’ – a body that resembled a python after swallowing a goat.
A. J. JACOBS
When I went to Israel, it was a little disorienting, because there are so many people who look crazy and were dressed like me. There, I was just one of the apocalyptic crowd.
A. J. JACOBS
Giulia Melucci has written a wonderfully funny and moving book. It’s like Eat, Pray, Love, with recipes.
A. J. JACOBS
I find placebos uplifting and exhilarating. It means that taking action–no matter what the action is–might help you feel better.
A. J. JACOBS
I thought religion would eventually wither away and we’d all be worshiping at the altar of science.
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
In trying to avoid one sin I’ve committed another.
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