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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 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 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
Very few people changed the world by sitting on their couch.
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
Behavior shapes emotions.
A. J. JACOBS

Behavior Emotion Family Relation Shape Society Trust
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

Cloud Ground Head Live Religion World
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
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
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

Beauty Beyond Forgive Nature Powerful Rational Unconditional Love
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
I grew up in a very secular home with no religion at all, so I was starting from zero.
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Grew Home Hormone Mature Nature Quality Responsibility Up Zero
I was what they call ‘skinny fat’ – a body that resembled a python after swallowing a goat.
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Body Depend Fat Food Goat Kill Python Skin Swallowing
I have little shame, no dignity – all in the name of a better cause.
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Cause Dignity Identity Image Little Name Reward Shame Think
In trying to avoid one sin I’ve committed another.
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Avoid Commitment Myself Sin Try
One of the interesting things to me is that God grows throughout the Old Testament. He evolves, sort of matures, and becomes kinder.
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Evolution God Growth Interest Kindness Oneself
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
I prefer the earlier birth control techniques, which ranged from the delicious (using honey as a spermicide) to the aerobic (jumping backward seven times after coitus).
A. J. JACOBS

Birth Control Delicious Idea Jumping Technique
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
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
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 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
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

Affection Bible Fan Love Read Support Writing Year
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

Head Illusion Kind Past Present Thinking Walk
Sometimes miracles occur only when you jump in.
A. J. JACOBS

Dedication Dream Energy Inspire Miracle Motivation Power Success Will
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
Paintings! They’re like TV, but they don’t move.
A. J. JACOBS

Creation Idea Innovative Level Magic Moving Quality Technology Time TV
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

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.

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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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