One of the interesting things to me is that God grows throughout the Old Testament. He evolves, sort of matures, and becomes kinder. A. J. Jacobs More Quotes by A. J. Jacobs More Quotes From A. J. Jacobs 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 nice careers writing 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 fans writing years 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 research sitting moving I was what they call 'skinny fat' - a body that resembled a python after swallowing a goat. A. J. Jacobs swallowing python body I know that you should always say yes to adventures or you'll lead a very dull life. A. J. Jacobs dull-life should adventure The year showed me beyond a doubt that everyone practices cafeteria religion... But the important lesson was this: there's nothing wrong with choosing. Cafeterias aren't bad per se... the key is in choosing the right dishes. You need to pick the nurturing ones (compassion), the healthy ones (love thy neighbor), not the bitter ones. A. J. Jacobs compassion practice years In trying to avoid one sin I've committed another. A. J. Jacobs committed sin trying I love it when the Bible gives Emily Post-like tips that are both wise and easy to follow. A. J. Jacobs wise easy giving Plus, in one of his e-mails, the guy said he didn't like pancakes. What kind of asshole doesn't like pancakes? A. J. Jacobs pancakes mail guy The whole bible is the working out of the relationship between God and man. God is not a dictator barking out orders and demanding silent obedience. Were it so, there would be no relationship at all. No real relationship goes just one way. There are always two active parties. We must have reverence and awe for God, and honor for the chain of tradition. But that doesn't mean we can't use new information to help us read the holy texts in new ways. A. J. Jacobs party real mean 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 three reading book I've rarely said the word "Lord," unless it's followed by "of the Rings. A. J. Jacobs rings lord said 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 feel-better nice games I'm still agnostic. But in the words of Elton Richards, I'm now a reverant agnostic. Which isn't an oxymoron, I swear. I now believe that whether or not there's a God, there is such a thing as sacredness. Life is sacred. The Sabbath can be a sacred day. Prayer can be a sacred ritual. There is something transcendent, beyond the everyday. It's possible that humans created this sacredness ourselves, but that doesn't take away from its power or importance. A. J. Jacobs everyday prayer believe 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? A. J. Jacobs brutality wise book It's a different way of looking at the world. Your life isn't about rights. It's about responsibilities."--Mr Bill Berkowitz A. J. Jacobs different responsibility rights Jealousy is a useless, time-wasting emotion that's eating me alive. A. J. Jacobs useless alive emotion Sometimes miracles occur only when you jump in. A. J. Jacobs miracle sometimes 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 this-world clouds world I got a sense of the amazingness of ordinary life, and I became aware of the marvel that we're around to begin with. I visited a lot of extreme communities, like the Amish, Hasidic Jews, and serpent-handlers. And I was proud, because I think I'm the first person to ever out-Bible-talk a Jehovah's Witness. After four hours, he said, "Okay, I have to go." A. J. Jacobs proud community thinking