A.J. Jacobs Quotes

When I was six years old, my mother died; and then, for the first time, I learned, by the talk around me, that I was a slave.

I've always found it very important to do your homework first and then talk.

I think it is fatal to specialize. And all kinds of things show us that and that the more diverse we are in what we can do, the better.

You don't get new products and services out of sameness.

The best thing is not to think about [separatism]. [People in Alberta] don't even want to engage in talking pros and cons and why people feel this way.

The successful men of action are not sufficiently self-observant to know exactly on what their success depends.

Cigarettes and chocolate milk shakes are two amazing things.

I don’t throw cell phones. I don’t hurt people, I only hurt myself.

I always wanted to be a fashion designer so I just have to remember that as long as I'm doing it I'm living the dream.

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.

Women do amazing, creative, wonderful things.

I find placebos uplifting and exhilarating. It means that taking action--no matter what the action is--might help you feel better.

Things work out better when you're straight up.

Southern women often marry a man knowing that he is the father of many little slaves. They do not trouble themselves about it.

Boy, you know, it's amazing how your brain can turn into a sieve, and you can literally forget episodes that you have shot.

NBC gives comedies a chance to find their legs.

When you can impress your mom by saying you've been to someone's concert, you know you're pretty lame.

My mom wouldn't let me buy clothes she didn't like, so I dressed like a middle-aged woman in high school.

My mom wouldn't know Tom Cruise if he punched her in the face.

My mom always said fighting with me as a kid was like going to court. I'm trying to realize that being right is not the most important thing.

Grunge is a hippied romantic version of punk.

Med students panic their first year when they learn all the diseases. It's not until the second year that they learn the cures.

I've never before been so aware of the thousands of little good things, the thousands of things that go right every day.

There's a beauty to forgiveness, especially forgiveness that goes beyond rationality. Unconditional love is an illogical notion, but such a great & powerful one

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?

Behavior shapes emotions.

Behavior shapes beliefs.

Giulia Melucci has written a wonderfully funny and moving book. It's like Eat, Pray, Love, with recipes.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

I love it when the Bible gives Emily Post-like tips that are both wise and easy to follow.

Its sort of my job to feel good.

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

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

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 loud noise will get your fight-or-flight response going. This, over the years, can cause real cardiovascular damage.

I've rarely said the word "Lord," unless it's followed by "of the Rings.

Sometimes miracles occur only when you jump in.

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.

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

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

Jealousy is a useless, time-wasting emotion that's eating me alive.

I thought religion would eventually wither away and we'd all be worshiping at the altar of science.

One of the interesting things to me is that God grows throughout the Old Testament. He evolves, sort of matures, and becomes kinder.

Nicklaus at the 86 Masters. At his age, with his game at the time.