Alain de Botton Quotes

Alain de Botton
Alain de Botton
English Writer
Born: Dec 20, 1969
Life Love Me People Think You
Related authors: Arthur C. Clarke D. H. Lawrence Douglas Adams Gilbert K. Chesterton John Ruskin Ricky Gervais Rudyard Kipling Thomas Paine
I assemble my ideas in pieces on a computer file, then gradually find a place for them on a piece of scaffolding I erect. Alain de Botton
Scaffolding Find Computer Ideas Piece Pieces Erect Gradually Place Them Then File Assemble
I was foreign and Jewish, with a funny name, and was very small and hated sport, a real problem at an English prep school. So the way to get round it was to become the school joker, which I did quite effectively - I was always fooling around to make the people who would otherwise dump me in the loo laugh. Alain de Botton
Funny Me People Problem School Become Otherwise Way Laugh Would Hated Small Fooling Joker Name Sport Make Around Always Foreign Real Dump Effectively Very Get Did Real Problem Quite Which English Who Prep Round Jewish
I learnt to stop fantasising about the perfect job or the perfect relationship because that can actually be an excuse for not living. Alain de Botton
Relationship Job Living About Perfect Perfect Job Excuse Because Learnt Stop Actually
There are few more effective ways to promote tolerance between suspicious neighbours than to force them to eat supper together. Alain de Botton
Together Few Tolerance Ways Neighbours Promote Eat More Supper Between Force Effective Than Suspicious Them
There's something called religion, and it was invented a long time ago by people who felt very out of control with their lives, who didn't know... why the sun always rose over the mountains. Alain de Botton
Time Religion People Long Long Time Mountains Control Rose Sun Out Something Invented Long Time Ago Over Know Felt Always Very Who Why Lives
The death of marriage has been announced so often and would seem so normal, in a sense. So what's surprising is the sheer longevity and tenacity of this institution. Alain de Botton
Death Marriage Sense Has-Been Would Seem Tenacity Announced Longevity Institution Sheer Been Surprising Normal Often
I fell in love with Norman Mailer's 'Of a Fire on the Moon', a description of the 1969 moon landing and the society that had produced NASA - and was inspired by him to begin a kind of anthropology of modern life. Alain de Botton
Life Love Moon Fire Society Kind Inspired Had Fell Him NASA Anthropology Begin Norman Modern Modern Life Landing Produced Description
We are properly ready for marriage when we are strong enough to embrace a life of frustration. Alain de Botton
Life Marriage Frustration Strong Enough Embrace Properly Ready
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the public's relationship to art has been weakened by a profound institutional reluctance to address the question of what art is for. This is a question that has, quite unfairly, come to feel impatient, illegitimate, and a little impudent. Alain de Botton
Art Relationship Beginning Address Weakened Has-Been Impatient Reluctance Feel Since Come Institutional Been Question Quite Unfairly Public Little Century Illegitimate Profound
I believe that art is a tool and that, like all tools, it has functions. I also think it is important to know what the tool is for so that we can better know how and when to use it. Alain de Botton
Art Better Important Believe Think Tool Tools Like Know Also How Use Functions
Where is instruction in relationships, in the management of career, in the raising of children, in the pursuit of friendship, in the wise approach to anxiety and death? All this sort of stuff I craved to learn about when I was a student and down to this day. Alain de Botton
Friendship Death Day Wise Management Anxiety Down Approach Relationships About Pursuit Student Stuff Instruction Learn Sort Where Children Career Raising
I was uncomfortable writing fiction. My love was the personal essay, rather than the novel. Alain de Botton
Love Writing Rather Uncomfortable Than Personal Essay Fiction Novel
It's clear to me that there is no good reason for many philosophy books to sound as complicated as they do. Alain de Botton
Good Me Complicated Books Philosophy Good Reason Clear Sound Reason Many
Kant and Hegel are interesting thinkers. But I am happy to insist that they are also terrible writers. Alain de Botton
Happy Insist Writers Also Terrible Am Interesting Hegel Kant Thinkers
Pick up any newspaper or magazine, open the TV, and you'll be bombarded with suggestions of how to have a successful life. Some of these suggestions are deeply unhelpful to our own projects and priorities - and we should take care. Alain de Botton
Life You Care Own Our Projects TV Magazine Some Take Open Pick Take Care Priorities How Up Any Unhelpful Newspaper Successful Should Bombarded Deeply Suggestions
The Arab-Israeli conflict is also in many ways a conflict about status: it's a war between two peoples who feel deeply humiliated by the other, who want the other to respect them. Battles over status can be even more intractable than those over land or water or oil. Alain de Botton
War Respect Conflict People Water Humiliated Other Ways Those Intractable Battles Status About More Feel Between Over Also Than Oil Want Them Land Who Many Even Deeply Two
We may seek a fortune for no greater reason than to secure the respect and attention of people who would otherwise look straight through us. Alain de Botton
Respect People Otherwise Secure Would Seek Through Attention Look Greater Than May Straight Us Fortune Reason Who
Booksellers are the most valuable destination for the lonely, given the numbers of books that were written because authors couldn't find anyone to talk to. Alain de Botton
Destination Valuable Lonely Books Find Given Written Most Talk Because Were Authors Anyone Numbers
I am always anxious. Alain de Botton
Always Am Anxious
All tours are filled with humiliation. My publisher once hired a private jet to fly me to a venue where 1,000 people were waiting. It almost bankrupted him. Alain de Botton
Me Waiting People Humiliation Fly Jet Once Almost Tours Him Venue Hired Private Were Where Filled Publisher
Never, ever become a writer. It's a nightmare. Alain de Botton
Become Writer Never Ever Nightmare
My writing always came out of a very personal place, out of an attempt to stay sane. Alain de Botton
Writing Out Stay Attempt Always Came Very Personal Place Sane
I am not a foodie, thank goodness. I will eat pretty much anything. A lot of my friends are getting incredibly fussy about food and I see it as a bit of an affliction. Alain de Botton
Food Will Goodness Affliction Incredibly Bit Fussy See Eat Pretty About Pretty Much Anything Am Lot Friends Thank Thank Goodness Getting Anything Much
I went to church and couldn't swallow it. The music was nice but I don't belong there. Alain de Botton
Music Church Nice Swallow Belong
Work is a way of bringing order to chaos, and there's a basic satisfaction in seeing that we are able to make something a little more coherent by the end of the day. Alain de Botton
Work Day End Of The Day Chaos Way Able Seeing Something More Make End Order Little Satisfaction Basic Bringing Coherent
Many moments in religion seem attractive to me even though I can't believe in any of it. Alain de Botton
Religion Me Believe Though Seem Attractive Any Many Moments Even
Load more quotes

No more Alain de Botton quotes

Haven't find the right quote? Try quotes from authors related to Alain de Botton.

About
Site pages
Top Quotes
Authors
Today's birthdays
Copyright © Quotesia 2025