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141 " He's skinny, but not the POW skinny I was expecting. More like lead-singer-of-an-emo-band skinny. "
― A.J. Jacobs , Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection
142 " There is no better time in history to be an idiot than right now. "
― A.J. Jacobs
143 " That's what I've noticed in my experiments: almost everything in life is a self-fulfilling prophecy .Probably even believing in self-fulfilling prophecies is a self-fulfilling prophecy "
144 " I love this one in A. J. Jacobs "The Year of Living Bibically". Jacobs has a Jewish friend living in Wisconsin who tells Jacobs the Jews there refer to themselves as "the frozen chosen". "
145 " It’s not that my parents badmouthed religion. It’s just that religion wasn’t for us. We lived in the twentieth century, for crying out loud. In our house, spirituality was almost a taboo subject, much like my father’s salary or my sister’s clove-cigarette habit. "
― A.J. Jacobs , The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
146 " Her passion is hard to forget. I still remember one dinner at my grandfather's house. The whole extended family was there, and Marti, at the time, refused to eat at the same table where flesh was being served. Half the family was fine with that. But the other half wanted chicken. The solution? We had to set up two separate tables in the dining room--a meat table and a nonmeat table. My diplomatic grandparents didn't want to take sides, so they sat at a third table in the middle, a dietary DMZ/ "
147 " I have one core belief: don’t be an asshole; be kind to others. That one’s written in pen. The rest of my beliefs are all in pencil. "
― A.J. Jacobs , The Puzzler
148 " I don't think I'm in the position to bestow legitimacy on anyone. "
149 " It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting. "
― A.J. Jacobs , Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey
150 " Why do we watch horror movies and do triathlons? "
151 " (Incidentally, the modern marathon gets its distance—26 miles and 385 yards—because the British Olympic committee in 1908 wanted it to go from Windsor Castle to the Royal Box in London Stadium "
― A.J. Jacobs , The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
152 " Calling it an experiment gives you permission to fail. "
153 " I used to be a dairy farmer, but I don’t do so much anymore. I’m not retired. I’m just tired.” I think Amos just made another joke. You haven’t seen deadpan delivery till you’ve seen the Amish. "
154 " They used to be racehorses,” says Amos, patting one on the neck. “Ninety percent of the horses the Amish have were once racehorses.” This is the only time during the weekend that Amos approached being prideful. Humility is absolutely central to the Amish way of life, and it’s one of the most beautiful things about the community. But if you’re going to be proud of anything, I figure these horses are a pretty good choice. "
155 " This time he can’t suppress the corners of his mouth from turning slightly upward. That was definitely a gag. "
156 " I found out later that some of the Amish allow Rollerblades. Rubber tires are forbidden, so bikes are out, but Rollerblade wheels are made of plastic. Likewise, though electricity is banned, tools using batteries, solar power, or gas are sometimes OK. Hence the leaf blower. The lesson from my weekend with the Amish is this: You cannot stop religion from evolving. "
157 " that home was in Wisconsin (Jews there are known as the “frozen chosen,” by the way). "
158 " Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you—for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. "
159 " Well, a chorizont is a person who believes that The Odyssey and The Iliad were written by two different people. "
160 " Now, as soon as I wake up, I check my iPhone for the New York Times Spelling Bee, a find-a-word game that is both compelling and maddening (What?! You’re telling me “ottomen” isn’t a word? Then what’s the plural of “ottoman”?!). Before going to sleep, I do Wordle and the Times crossword puzzle. "