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Jonathan Gottschall Quotes

We are a species addicted to a stories Picture Quote #1

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 no inclination to ban Picture Quote #1

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 your brain. You can feel the brain injury happening. It’s an instant headache Picture Quote #1

A boxing contest is a brain-damage contest. Who can give out more brain damage and who can absorb more of it? Picture Quote #1

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 slit this guy in the throat and then I stuck a grenade up this guy’s ass.’ He’s describing it in all this detail, and that makes me uncomfortable. I don’t think that’s good for him Picture Quote #1

Story is where people go to practice the key skills of human social life Picture Quote #1

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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 your opponent than he does to you. It just seems ugly Picture Quote #1

We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard Picture Quote #1

I think that a lot of people who like training with guns are probably drawn to it not only for practical reasons, but also in that same restless quest for physical excellence that draws people to a martial arts dojo Picture Quote #1

I’m living in the heart of gun culture, but I’m not a gun guy. I didn’t grow up with them; I was never a hunter; my dad was never a hunter Picture Quote #1

People like head trauma. They love knockouts. The crowd is silent, silent, silent... and then a knockout happens, and everyone goes native. There would be far fewer knockouts without the gloves Picture Quote #1

In an effort to civilize combat sports, authorities mandated padded gloves and instantly made the sports far more savage. Granted, putting gloves on the hands seems like a nice thing to do. If you were being punched in the brain by a powerful man, wouldn’t you rather he strap a pillow around his fist? But the glove doesn’t do anything to diminish your brain damage Picture Quote #1

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My reason for arguing against abolishing these types of sports isn’t some kind of lofty, philosophical rationale. It’s just that I did it and I liked it. It comes down to a libertarian issue for me. I feel that if I know the risks and I want to take them, I should be allowed to do so Picture Quote #1

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 them Picture Quote #1

We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories Picture Quote #1

Bull riding is probably the most dangerous sport in the world in terms of head injuries Picture Quote #1

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 no inclination to ban Picture Quote #1

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 ultimately footing the bill for the spectacle Picture Quote #1

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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, is to build endurance, toughness, and courage. They want to practice as realistically as possible so that when they go into a real fight, the transition isn’t as jarring Picture Quote #1

When you spar in boxing, the only thing that gets hurt is your brain. Everything else feels pretty good Picture Quote #1

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 other realm of my life. It made me feel awake in a way that I had never been awake. Those kinds of big emotions and big experiences may come with a heavy price tag Picture Quote #1

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 your brain. You can feel the brain injury happening. It’s an instant headache Picture Quote #1

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 more likely to get into a fight, because I feel more competent, and I know what it’s cost me in the past to back down from fights, and I don’t want to feel that way Picture Quote #1

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 course, but above all else, a fighter is someone who’s got courage, who’s dead game in a fight. Most guys don’t come into the world that way. You learn to be brave through that process of getting your fear and timidity beaten out of you night after night after night Picture Quote #1

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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 take a literary theory course, you might think it would be about literature, but it’s really not. It’s about all the various forms of oppression on earth and how we can see them playing out in literary works. And behind all these forms of oppression is a guy Picture Quote #1

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 read nonfiction, we read with our shields up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally, and this seems to make us rubbery and easy to shape Picture Quote #1

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 just can’t resist the gravity of alternate worlds Picture Quote #1

The brain stays up all night telling stories while we sleep. We just call them dreams Picture Quote #1

Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

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Text Quotes

We are a species addicted to a stories (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 no inclination to ban. (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 your brain. You can feel the brain injury happening. It’s an instant headache. (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) A boxing contest is a brain-damage contest. Who can give out more brain damage and who can absorb more of it? (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 slit this guy in the throat and then I stuck a grenade up this guy’s ass.’ He’s describing it in all this detail, and that makes me uncomfortable. I don’t think that’s good for him (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) Story is where people go to practice the key skills of human social life (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 your opponent than he does to you. It just seems ugly (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) I think that a lot of people who like training with guns are probably drawn to it not only for practical reasons, but also in that same restless quest for physical excellence that draws people to a martial arts dojo (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) I’m living in the heart of gun culture, but I’m not a gun guy. I didn’t grow up with them; I was never a hunter; my dad was never a hunter (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) People like head trauma. They love knockouts. The crowd is silent, silent, silent... and then a knockout happens, and everyone goes native. There would be far fewer knockouts without the gloves (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) In an effort to civilize combat sports, authorities mandated padded gloves and instantly made the sports far more savage. Granted, putting gloves on the hands seems like a nice thing to do. If you were being punched in the brain by a powerful man, wouldn’t you rather he strap a pillow around his fist? But the glove doesn’t do anything to diminish your brain damage (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) My reason for arguing against abolishing these types of sports isn’t some kind of lofty, philosophical rationale. It’s just that I did it and I liked it. It comes down to a libertarian issue for me. I feel that if I know the risks and I want to take them, I should be allowed to do so (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 them (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) Bull riding is probably the most dangerous sport in the world in terms of head injuries (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 no inclination to ban (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 ultimately footing the bill for the spectacle (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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, is to build endurance, toughness, and courage. They want to practice as realistically as possible so that when they go into a real fight, the transition isn’t as jarring (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) When you spar in boxing, the only thing that gets hurt is your brain. Everything else feels pretty good (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 other realm of my life. It made me feel awake in a way that I had never been awake. Those kinds of big emotions and big experiences may come with a heavy price tag (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 your brain. You can feel the brain injury happening. It’s an instant headache (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 more likely to get into a fight, because I feel more competent, and I know what it’s cost me in the past to back down from fights, and I don’t want to feel that way (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 course, but above all else, a fighter is someone who’s got courage, who’s dead game in a fight. Most guys don’t come into the world that way. You learn to be brave through that process of getting your fear and timidity beaten out of you night after night after night (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 take a literary theory course, you might think it would be about literature, but it’s really not. It’s about all the various forms of oppression on earth and how we can see them playing out in literary works. And behind all these forms of oppression is a guy (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 read nonfiction, we read with our shields up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally, and this seems to make us rubbery and easy to shape (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) 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 just can’t resist the gravity of alternate worlds (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes) The brain stays up all night telling stories while we sleep. We just call them dreams (Jonathan Gottschall Quotes)