Jean

“When we are electing government officials, it is not stupid to ask yourself, “If a plague broke out, do I think this person could navigate the country through those times, on a spiritual level, but also on a pragmatic one? Would they be able to calmly solve one problem, and then another one, and then the next one? Or would bodies pile up in the streets?”
― Jennifer Wright, Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them

“On the other hand, Protestantism's shedding away of authority, as evidenced by my mother's proclamation that I needn't go to church or listen to a preacher to achieve salvation, inspires self-reliance - along with a dangerous disregard for expertise. So the impulse that leads to democracy can also be the downside of democracy - namely, a suspicion of people who know what they are talking about. It's why in U.S. presidential elections the American people will elect a wisecracking good ol'boy who's fun in a malt shop instead of a serious thinker who actually knows some of the pompous, brainy stuff that might actually get fewer people laid off or killed.”
― Sarah Vowell

“It’s perfectly possible to be smarter than everyone else and still be polite and even deferential—women have been doing it for centuries.”
― Jennifer Wright, Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them

“The takeaway from this story is that there is really only one thing we should collectively fear ending civilizations. It's not licentious behavior. If the biggest problem in your civilization is people having sex, you are doing great. It isn't even necessarily other countries attacking you because they hate you and all that you stand for. If you've got a big enough army you can fight them off. The real terror is plague. It's waiting out there, somewhere, under the ice or in a jungle. If it strikes and it can't be combatted effectively, it can take down an empire.”
― Jennifer Wright