A. J. Jacobs Quotes - Page 2

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.

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.

There's a very passionate pro-chewing movement on the Internet called Chewdiasm. They say that we should be chewing 50 to 100 times per mouthful, which is insane. I tried that. It takes like a day and a half to eat a sandwich. But their basic idea is right. If you chew, you'll eat slower and you will get more nutrients.

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?

The World Health Organization ... estimated that 1.6 million years of healthy living are lost every year in Europe because of noise pollution.

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.

Let me tell you, though: being the smartest boy in the world wasn’t easy. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want this. On the contrary, it was a huge burden. First, there was the task of keeping my brain perfectly protected. My cerebral cortex was a national treasure, a masterpiece of the Sistine Chapel of brains. This was not something that could be treated frivolously. If I could have locked it in a safe, I would have. Instead, I became obsessed with brain damage.

I have little shame, no dignity – all in the name of a better cause.

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.

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.

I found there were things about religion that I really loved; things like the sense of gratefulness that it brings.

I know that you should always say yes to adventures or you'll lead a very dull life.

Taking the Bible too literally is a mistake. It should be read as a guidebook of wisdom and insight.

My goal? To test out every diet and exercise regimen on planet earth and figure out which work best. I sweated, I cooked, I learned to pole dance. In the end, I lost weight, lowered my cholesterol and doubled my energy level. I feel better than I ever have.

I love to live things, so I wanted to immerse myself and get into the mindset - and sandals - of my forefathers.

I thought religion would make me live with my head in the clouds, but as often as not, it grounds me in this world.

I grew up in a very secular home with no religion at all, so I was starting from zero.

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.

In trying to avoid one sin I've committed another.

I know that knowledge and intelligence are not the same thing - but they do live in the same neighborhood. I know once again, firsthand, the joy of learning.

It's a different way of looking at the world. Your life isn't about rights. It's about responsibilities."--Mr Bill Berkowitz

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.

More people die on a per mile basis from drunk walking than from drunk driving.

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

I was what they call 'skinny fat' - a body that resembled a python after swallowing a goat.