Don’t Burn This Book Quotes

“When we fail to live a life outside politics, we become a slave to it. While it’s certainly important to be aware of all the issues I’ve discussed here, it’s way more important to live a well-rounded, fully-realized life that’s regularly removed from all the drama.
In order to do this, we must learn to distinguish between being politically engaged and politically obsessed.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“… the left wants you to believe that the United States is a lethal cocktail of imperialism, xenophobia, toxic masculinity, and capitalist greed designed to enslave the masses. This is a fascinating take, considering the left also wants open borders so that everyone can apparently share in the nightmare that is America.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“… the global polar bear population has actually increased since the 1960s.
According to Danish environmentalist Bjørn Lomborg, the greatest threat to polar bears comes from hunters, who shoot between three hundred and five hundred of them every year—not global warming.
The panic is best summarized by British journalist and author Matt Ridley, who told me: ‘Global warming is real, but slower than expected. The latest hysteria is based on exaggeration rather than evidence. We are told that we must panic, despair, and deliberately impose harsh austerity on ordinary people just in case the current gentle warming of the climate turns nasty at some point later in the century. That is like taking chemotherapy for a head cold.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“There are two things that could survive a nuclear war: cockroaches and the myth of the gender pay gap.
… young women who don’t have kids are outearning their male peers. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, unmarried, childless females under age 30 who live in cities earn 8 percent more than their male peers in 147 of 150 U.S. cities. In Atlanta and Memphis, the figure is approximately 20 percent more, while young women in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Diego make 17 percent, 12 percent, and 15 percent more, respectively. Besides, even if men and women do earn different sums, statistical disparity doesn’t always mean discrimination—sometimes they are the reward for life choices, which is fair. This is good news, unless you crave victimhood.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“… If one still needs a reason to justify being a militant feminist, then head over to the Middle East. That’s where you’ll find real misogyny, which is propped up by a proper patriarchy. Happy travels!”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“As it stands right now, the top 1 percent already pay 90 percent of the money generated through federal tax, while the lower 10 percent pay basically nothing—yet still we’re told the rich need to pay more.
And if the rich must pay more, then how much more—and for how long? Answers on a postcard please. Why not increase the rate annually until they’re eventually paying 100 percent tax? That’ll really teach them not to be greedy. This anticapitalist approach does little to encourage entrepreneurialism and most likely does the opposite. Once again, Thomas Sowell nailed it when he said: ‘No government of the left has done as much for the poor as capitalism has. Even when it comes to the redistribution of income, the left talks the talk but the free market walks the walk’.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“Think about yourself right now. Do you represent all white people, or black people, or straight people, or gay people? No, of course not. You only represent yourself. Segregating Americans into identity groups—the very essence of bigotry—has been fully embraced by modern progressivism, which has absolutely nothing to do with classical liberalism. Progressivism has traded a love of individual rights for paternalistic, insincere concern for the collective. It judges people based upon their skin color, gender, and sexuality, thus imagining them as competitors in an Oppression Olympics in which victimhood is virtue.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“… the root of our gun problem isn’t the weapon itself but the human beings behind them. After all, it’s a person who pulls the trigger. If you think this isn’t relevant, it may be worth noting that one of the Columbine, Colorado, shooters, Eric Harris, had Luvox (a Prozac-like, psychotropic medicine) in his bloodstream. Likewise, Stephen Paddock, the man who slaughtered fifty-eight people in the Las Vegas shooting—the worst in modern American history—had antianxiety medication in his system and had previously been prescribed diazepam. Meanwhile, Parkland, Florida, shooter, Nikolas Cruz, had been on psychotropic drugs before he embarked on his killing spree as well. These are facts. Yet we still allow mind-altering medication to be advertised on television, even though their side effects produce all sorts of problems, such as suicidal tendencies, anxiety, and insomnia. I’m no expert on prescription medicine or mental health, but perhaps focusing on these elements could be a sane place for the debate to go. After all, it maintains our Second Amendment freedoms without ignoring some pivotal factors.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“We are a generous and welcoming people here in the United States,’ Obama said in 2005. ‘But those who enter the country illegally, and those who employ them, disrespect the rule of law, and they are showing disregard for those who are following the law.’ He added: “We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants into this country.’ A few years later, in a 2013 State of the Union address, Obama promised to put illegal immigrants ‘to the back of the line.’
He even once told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: ‘Our direct message to families is ‘do not send your children to the border.’ If they do make it, they’ll be sent back. But they may not make it [at all].’ Yes, that’s progressive hero, Mr. Hope and Change himself, Barack Obama, sounding an awful lot like evil, racist Republican Donald Trump, wouldn’t you say?”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“… other nations throughout Europe have built their own territory markers, including Spain, Greece, Norway, Hungary, Macedonia, and Austria. Are these countries racist? Are they building walls in the name of racism? Of course not.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“Borders are all around us in various forms—they’re the laws that stop criminals from stealing our property, the front doors that keep us safe at night, and the parameters of personal space that discourage people from getting in our faces. Even literal borders are good. The triple-fence erected along San Diego’s U.S.-Mexican border has been hugely successful, reducing illegal access by 90 percent. Likewise, Israel’s border wall with the West Bank is considered another triumph for its citizens. Before its existence, Israel suffered countless suicide bombings, which terrorized thousands of innocent people.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“America isn’t perfect, nor could any nation ever be, but that she has granted more people more freedoms than any other country in the history of the world.”
― Dave Rubin, Don’t Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“According to Aza Raskin, the smartphone’s infinite scroll feature (which allows us to swipe down continuously without clicking) was deliberately built to be habit-forming. He should know. He’s the engineer who created it.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“That’s the incredible irony of it all: the more you admit to not knowing, the smarter you’ll actually get! Furthermore, it’s also good to be humbled occasionally. The human ego can be fragile, but it can also be way too arrogant and destructive. It can obstruct your emotional and intellectual development. A little bit of modesty can offset this hubris and make us all better human beings. So yes, saying “I don’t know” is a good thing. Bullshitting your way through life is not dignified and over time it can never really work. Eventually people see through it and then are very likely to second-guess everything else you say going forward. Have the courage to admit when knowledge eludes you. Otherwise you’ll just be a dumb person’s version of a smart person. And why would anyone want to be that? I don’t know.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“The left’s obsession with judging us on immutable characteristics is what will eventually reach a tipping point and turn neighbor against neighbor, dividing America . . . and beyond.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“if you’re a sane person, progressives would need to consider your views like reasonable adults. But because they don’t want to question their narrow, dogmatic worldview, they categorize you as extreme. This enables them to completely dismiss you without feeling bad. In fact, it makes them feel morally righteous. In their minds they’ve exterminated a deadly enemy.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“Classical liberalism doesn’t demand that you bow to it. It instructs you to make a decision for yourself. Then, through that process, we can figure out what is best for a society at large.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“It’s no coincidence that social justice warriors are frequently out of shape, poorly dressed, and have messy hair, along with their overall disheveled appearance. If some dress for success, they dress for failure. Now get out there and buy yourself something nice. Your future deserves it.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“He was obviously correct and it’s something we are all aware of every day. Dressing well not only can determine what energy you put into the universe, but also what you get in return.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“It’s not a lie,” he added. “It’s a form of practice. Figure out who you want to be, then dress like that person. No detail is too small to overlook. If you’re at any critical point of your life, you should do everything you can to tip the scales—not in your favor, but in favor of having the right thing happen.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“As we walked down the boardwalk at the beach, I asked Jordan about his uptick in personal style. It turns out it was one of his 12 Rules for Life that didn’t make the final edit. “Dress like the person you want to be,” he told me. “I took it from Nietzsche. He once said ‘every great man is an actor of his own ideal,’ which means you have to act out whatever you want to be, then you’ll become it.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“As the old saying goes, if you have integrity, nothing else matters. But if you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“Stand tough. You can only become the kind of person you admire through surviving hardship. As human beings, we usually only learn to take life seriously when our world comes into question. So although a mob attack might seem like a worst-case scenario, recognize that it’s actually an opportunity for growth and self-discovery. Then act upon it. Never apologize. This means having the courage of your convictions, right when the pile-on is at its most intense. At this point, it might be tempting to wave the white flag of surrender and apologize, but don’t do it. This is the precise moment when you must keep going with your head held high. Accept that you’ll lose friends. Everything clicks once you start figuring out who you are, but the process of self-discovery is often painful, requiring you to let go of people. Fight hard to maintain your friendships, especially the old ones, but don’t be anyone’s doormat. At some point you may have to let someone go. This is very sad, but embrace it like you would any breakup. And believe it or not, you’ll make new friends who’ll accept you exactly for who you are.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“More white children live in poverty than any other race. Data from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) placed America’s 13 million poor kids into the following categories: 4.2 million are Caucasian, 4 million are Latino, 3.6 million are African American, and 400,000 are Asian. Another 200,000 are American Indian.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“Back in 2001, another study by The Washington Post found that police officers were more likely to be killed by black people, rather than vice versa. Specifically, it noted that blacks committed 43 percent of cop killings, despite being just 13 percent of the U.S. population. Data from ProPublica (a center-left organization) found that 62 percent of black people shot by police between 2005 and 2009 were either resisting arrest or assaulting an officer. David Klinger, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, studied more than three hundred cops to find that “multiple” officers were disinclined to use deadly force against a black suspect—even when it was permitted. Conversely, black offenders committed 52 percent of homicides in America between 1980 and 2008. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 93 percent of black victims were killed by other African Americans, while 84 percent of white victims were killed by other Caucasians.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“Black people are 23.5 percent less likely to be shot by police, relative to whites. That’s according to ex-Harvard scholar Roland Fryer (a black dude, I might add). He investigated racial profiling in his study: “An Empirical Analysis of Racial Differences in Police Use of Force,” published July 2017.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“Kling’s point is that no matter what language we speak, we should use slow thinking, not fast thinking. Citing Daniel Kahneman’s bestselling book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kling argues that we go wrong in political discourse when we hear a fact in isolation and jump to conclusions without considering its context. He encourages us to consider political problems slowly and logically instead—much like Elder did in our 2016 interview.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“So if you’re a progressive liberal, you see America and the West in general as an oppressive, tyrannical regime bent on capitalist destruction and oppression. Conservatives, who generally view the world through more of a religious lens, want to maintain the hard-fought freedoms we have (civilization) while protecting them from the whims of the day (barbarism). Meanwhile, libertarians see big government and the political machine as the biggest threat to personal freedom.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“Kling identifies three primary languages: Liberals see the world as a battle between victims and oppressors. Conservatives see the world as a battle between civilization and barbarism. Libertarians see the world as a battle between liberty and coercion.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

“I was reminded of this two years later when we shot The Rubin Report with the legendary economist and author Dr. Thomas Sowell while on location at Stanford University in April 2018. Sowell is a conservative who just so happens to be black, as well as a mentor to Elder, so it felt like the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the lesson I’d learned—and reaffirm it once more. So when I asked him what caused his own transition from far-left Marxist to modern-day libertarian, his answer was perfectly summarized when he simply quipped: “Facts.”
― Dave Rubin, Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason