Alain de Botton Quotes, Fighting Quotes, Balance Quotes

There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Fighting Quotes , Balance Quotes

At the beginning of human history, as we struggled to light fires and to chisel fallen trees into rudimentary canoes, who could have predicted that long after we had managed to send men to the moon and areoplanes to Australasia, we would still have such trouble knowing how to tolerate ourselves, forgive our loved ones, and apologise for our tantrums?

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Moon Quotes , Men Quotes

I was uncomfortable writing fiction. My love was the personal essay rather than the novel.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Writing Quotes , Fiction Quotes

The blunt large questions become connected to smaller, apparently esoteric ones.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Esoteric Quotes , Blunt Quotes

It's very hard to respect people on holiday - everybody looks so silly at the beach, it makes you hate humanity - but when you see people at their work they elicit respect, whether it's a mechanic, a stonemason or an accountant.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Beach Quotes , Hate Quotes

Reputation matters so much only because people so seldom think for themselves.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Thinking Quotes , People Quotes

Memory is... similar to anticipation: an instrument of simplification and selection.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Memories Quotes , Anticipation Quotes

We should keep a careful diary of our moments of envy: they are our covert guides to what we should try to do next.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Envy Quotes , Trying Quotes

The study of maps and the perusal of travel books aroused in me a secret fascination that was at times almost irresistible.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Book Quotes , Secret Quotes

to design means forcing ourselves to unlearn what we believe we already know, patiently to take apart the mechanisms behind our reflexes and to acknowledge the mystery and stupefying complexity of everyday gestures like switching off a light of turning on a tap

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Believe Quotes , Mean Quotes

We should not be frightened by appearances.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Appearance Quotes , Should Quotes

I assemble my ideas in pieces on a computer file, then gradually find a place for them on a piece of scaffolding I erect.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Ideas Quotes , Pieces Quotes

One of the unexpectedly important things that art can do for us is to teach us how to suffer more successfully.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Art Quotes , Suffering Quotes

I learnt to stop fantasising about the perfect job or the perfect relationship because that can actually be an excuse for not living.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Jobs Quotes , Perfect Quotes

Never too late to learn some embarrassingly basic, stupidly obvious things about oneself.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Inspirational Quotes , Obvious Things Quotes

Taking architecture seriously therefore makes some singular and strenuous demands upon us...It means conceding that we are inconveniently vulnerable to the colour of our wallpaper and that our sense of purpose may be derailed by an unfortunate bedspread

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Mean Quotes , Purpose Quotes

On paper, being good sounds great but a lot depends on the atmosphere of the workplace or community we live in. We tend to become good or bad depending on the cues sent out within a particular space.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Space Quotes , Community Quotes

The only way to be happy is to realise how much depends on how you look at things

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Looks Quotes , Way Quotes

The problem isn't so much finding good ideas (there is no shortage) as embedding the ones we have into everyday practice.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Practice Quotes , Ideas Quotes

What kills us isn't one big thing, but thousands of tiny obligations we can't turn down for fear of disappointing others.

6 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Alain de Botton Quotes , Tiny Quotes , Disappointing Quotes