Alain de Botton
Alain de Botton
Alain de Botton, FRSLis a Swiss-born, British-based self-help philosopher and public speaker. His books and television programmes discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy's relevance to everyday life. At 23, he published Essays in Love, which went on to sell two million copies. Other bestsellers include How Proust Can Change Your Life, Status Anxietyand The Architecture of Happiness...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth20 December 1969
mind body whim
Our bodies hold our minds hostage to their whims and rhythms.
self years careers
Most of us still caged within careers chosen for us by our not entirely worldly 18-22 year old selves.
intelligent insanity disease
We are all more intelligent than we are capable, and awareness of the insanity of love has never saved anyone from the disease.
character parent trying
As adults, we try to develop the character traits that would have rescued our parents.
sexy feelings excitement
The more closely we analyze what we consider 'sexy,' the more clearly we will understand that eroticism is the feeling of excitement we experience at finding another human being who shares our values and our sense of the meaning of existence.
knowing exciting fulfilling
Work is most fulfilling when you're at the comfortable, exciting edge of not quite knowing what you are doing.
happiness emotional expression
Our capacity to draw happiness from aesthetic objects or material goods in fact seems critically dependent on our first satisfying a more important range of emotional or psychological needs, among them the need for understanding, for love, expression and respect.
heart people special
We keep a special place in our hearts for people who refuse to be impressed by us.
suffering behaviour malice
Forgiveness requires a sense that bad behaviour is a sign of suffering rather than malice.
confused ambition envy
Envy: a confused, tangled guide to one's own ambitions.
crazy maturity knowing
Maturity: knowing where you're crazy, trying to warn others of the fact and striving to keep yourself under control.
interesting people cages
People only get really interesting when they start to rattle the bars of their cages.
gratitude punishment paying-taxes
Paying tax should be framed as a glorious civic duty worthy of gratitude - not a punishment for making money.
philosophy sadness writing
The arrogance that says analysing the relationship between reasons and causes is more important than writing a philosophy of shyness or sadness or friendship drives me nuts. I can't accept that.