Jealousy is a useless, time-wasting emotion that’s eating me alive.
A. J. JACOBSA 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.
More A. J. Jacobs Quotes
-
-
I thought religion would eventually wither away and we’d all be worshiping at the altar of science.
A. J. JACOBS -
If my former self and my current self met for coffee, they’d get along OK, but they’d both probably walk out of the Starbucks shaking their heads and saying to themselves, “That guy is kinda delusional.”
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 -
In trying to avoid one sin I’ve committed another.
A. J. JACOBS -
It’s hard to be in a bad mood when you’re walking around looking like you’re about to play the semifinals at Wimbledon.
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 -
I grew up in a very secular home with no religion at all, so I was starting from zero.
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 -
I’m addicted to self-improvement. The thing is, there’s so damn much about myself to improve.
A. J. JACOBS -
I was what they call ‘skinny fat’ – a body that resembled a python after swallowing a goat.
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 -
Since 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.
A. J. JACOBS -
I thought religion would eventually wither away and we’d all be worshiping at the altar of science.
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 -
Paintings! They’re like TV, but they don’t move.
A. J. JACOBS -
One of the interesting things to me is that God grows throughout the Old Testament. He evolves, sort of matures, and becomes kinder.
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 -
I love to live things, so I wanted to immerse myself and get into the mindset – and sandals – of my forefathers.
A. J. JACOBS -
My immune system has always been overly welcoming of germs. It’s far too polite, the biological equivalent of a southern hostess inviting y’all nice microbes to stay awhile and have some artichoke dip.
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 -
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 don’t believe that prayers actually change God’s mind – if there is a God – but I liked praying for people in need. It was like moral weightlifting. I tend to be self-obsessed, and it was nice to get out of my brain once in a while.
A. J. JACOBS -
Probably 90 percent of our life decisions are powered by the twin engines of inertia and laziness.
A. J. JACOBS -
Very few people changed the world by sitting on their couch.
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 -
I have little shame, no dignity – all in the name of a better cause.
A. J. JACOBS