Jonathan Gottschall Quotes

31 quotes in 764 categories

• We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.
• I have this little neighbor next door. He comes over and tells me about playing Call of Duty, and he's talking about, 'Aw yeah, I…
• The brain stays up all night telling stories while we sleep. We just call them dreams.
• Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep we dig in our heels, we…
• We are creatures of story, and the process of changing one mind or the whole world must begin with 'Once upon a time.'
• Fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show that when we…
• In my profession more generally, it's not an exaggeration to say that masculinity is viewed as the root of all evil. If you were to…
• Whenever I was confronted in the schoolyard, I found some way to avoid the fight. I ran for it. I backed down. Psychologically and emotionally,…
• What you do in a fight gym is learn how to be brave. You're learning how to punch and kick in a proper way, of…
• It's an empirical question whether training makes one more or less likely to get in a fight outside the gym. In some ways, I'm probably…
• Getting punched in the face with a padded glove doesn't really hurt your face. It doesn't hurt your skull. The only thing it hurts is…
• Fighting is really, really rewarding. I truly enjoyed it. I got feelings from fighting that were bigger than those I had experienced in almost any…
• When you spar in boxing, the only thing that gets hurt is your brain. Everything else feels pretty good.
• The top fighters spar hard. They're really sparring for two reasons: One is to improve their technique, but the other, which is just as important,…
• I watch fights and I often feel morally compromised by it. I feel like I'm morally culpable for what's occurring because I'm the spectator and…
• I don't think people are reacting primarily to the danger of the sport. There are many other activities that are truly dangerous that we have…
• Bull riding is probably the most dangerous sport in the world in terms of head injuries.
• I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm to…
• A boxing contest is a brain-damage contest. Who can give out more brain damage and who can absorb more of it?
• I think the proper attitude toward fighting sports is one of ambivalence. You can be drawn to them, but you should also be repelled by…

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