black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

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

The best we can do, to paraphrase Pollan, is to eat whole foods, mostly plants, and not too much.
A. J. JACOBS

Eat Food Plant
I know that you should always say yes to adventures or you’ll lead a very dull life.
A. J. JACOBS

Accept Adventure Comfort Dull Explore Life Risk World Zone
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

Acceptance Career Learning Recommend Rejection Writing Yourself
I’m addicted to self-improvement. The thing is, there’s so damn much about myself to improve.
A. J. JACOBS

Addiction Improvement Myself
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

Believe Commitment Life Prayer Religious Start Yourself
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

Aware Book Country Grow Knowledge Person Read Reading Right Speak
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

Delay Sheep Sleep Study
I was very good at sitting. But I just read so much research about how horrible sitting is for you. It’s like, it’s really bad. It’s like Paula-Deen-glazed-bacon-doughnut bad. So I now move around as much as possible.
A. J. JACOBS

Goodness Horrible Move Myself Possible Research
Giulia Melucci has written a wonderfully funny and moving book. It’s like Eat, Pray, Love, with recipes.
A. J. JACOBS
In trying to avoid one sin I’ve committed another.
A. J. JACOBS

Avoid Commitment Myself Sin Try
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

Bad Mood Play Sports Walk Yourself
I am officially Jewish, but I’m Jewish in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant.
A. J. JACOBS

Garden Good Natural Positivity
Behavior shapes emotions.
A. J. JACOBS

Behavior Emotion Family Relation Shape Society Trust
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

Day Focus Myself Right Talk Thankful Wrong
Taking the Bible too literally is a mistake. It should be read as a guidebook of wisdom and insight.
A. J. JACOBS

Bible Fault Guilt Insight Lesson Mistake Should Wisdom
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

Immunity Invitation Polite Stay System Welcome Yourself
I thought religion would eventually wither away and we’d all be worshiping at the altar of science.
A. J. JACOBS

Myself Religion Science Worship
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

Appearance Crazy Crowd Myself People
More people die on a per mile basis from drunk walking than from drunk driving.
A. J. JACOBS

Death Drink Drive People
Scrabble – The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t really explain why.
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

Grew Home Hormone Mature Nature Quality Responsibility Up Zero
I thought religion would eventually wither away and we’d all be worshiping at the altar of science.
A. J. JACOBS

Altars Bless Christ Donate Holy Humanity Love People Religious Surrounding
Probably 90 percent of our life decisions are powered by the twin engines of inertia and laziness.
A. J. JACOBS

Decision Life Ourselves Power
I have little shame, no dignity – all in the name of a better cause.
A. J. JACOBS

Cause Dignity Identity Image Little Name Reward Shame Think
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

Action Better Feeling Finding Help Yourself
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

Adequate Circle Creation Good Habit Ideas Little Small Success Will Power
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

Kind Method People Religion See Worship Yourself

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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More A. J. Jacobs Quotes