…three quarters of Americans hold at least one paranormal belief. Here are some figures from the first decade of our century:

• Possession by the devil, 42 percent
• Extrasensory perception, 41 percent
• Ghosts and spirits, 32 percent
• Astrology, 25 percent
• Witches, 21 percent
• Communicating with the dead, 29 percent
• Reincarnation, 24 percent
• Spiritual energy in mountains, trees, and crystals, 26 percent
• Evil eye, curses, spells, 16 percent
• Consulted a fortune-teller or psychic, 15 percent…

— Steven Pinker, Rationality

Recognizing that your point of view may be imperfect is, in fact, usually the first part of solving a problem. It’s a sign of strength and confidence, whereas dogged refusal to listen to another outlook is more frequently perceived as a sign of shakiness or weakness.

— Peter Hollins, Mental Models

Once in every generation, without fail, there is an episode of hysteria about the barbarians.

— J. M. Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians

As a general rule, the discretion to make decisions should be delegated to the people who must implement those decisions.

— Marianne Bellotti, Kill It With Fire

The way you spend an average day indicates the way you’ll probably spend your life.

— Brennen Reece, Productivity for the Depressive Polymath