“Q. What would happen if the Earth and all terrestrial objects suddenly stopped spinning, but the atmosphere retained its velocity? A. NEARLY EVERYONE WOULD DIE. Then things would get interesting. At the equator, the Earth’s surface is moving at about 470 meters per second a little over a thousand miles per hour — relative to its axis. …

Introduction “Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.” “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them. They seem…

“Just as with those family relationships — and in contrast to relationships among sons, fathers, and brothers — when women told me about being upset by friends, it was often because they hadn’t been included in something or hadn’t been told something. This reflects the sensitivity, common among women, to…

Introduction “Indonesia is full of such improbable moments. In Indonesia, a presidential candidate who doubles as a sultan and moonlights as the head of the national chamber of commerce keeps a posse of albino dwarves at his court for good luck. …

“The first thing to understand is that the public peace — the sidewalk and street peace — of cities is not kept primarily by the police, necessary as police are. …

Introduction “”On the first day of school, Merkel continues, offering a window into the complexity of growing up a pastor’s child in atheist East Germany, “students were required to stand up and state their parents’ profession.” …

Standing Rock “This was my fourth and final trip to Oceti Sakowin Camp, the largest of several camps that existed at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers, north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, from April 2016 to February 2017. Initially, the camps had been established to block construction of…

Childhood “”Money? How we gonna make money off my dick?” “After school we can take the kids back here and show you off, and we charge a nickel apiece.” “No. I ain’t showing people my thing if they’re gonna laugh at it.” “Look, Broc, money is money. What do you care…

“Mercy is radical kindness. Mercy means offering or being offered aid in desperate straits. Mercy is not deserved. It involves absolving the unabsolvable, forgiving the unforgivable. Mercy brings us to the miracle of apology, given and accepted, to unashamed humility when we have erred or forgotten. …