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Alain De Botton Quotes

"If we are inclined to forget how much we need other people, friends and family, holidays and parties all remind us.""There is a pleasure in being mad that only the madman knows.""The most fulfilling lives are those which do not get dislodged even by extraordinary circumstances""Habit is our second nature, and it reveals with great precision the extent of our individuality""The most powerful mind-altering substance is the human soul""Our job is not to be perfect; our job is to be human""The resolute acceptance of the unavoidable is the beginning of wisdom""We are closest to people when we promise them something that can never be delivered""The largest part of what we call 'personality' is determined by how we've opted to defend ourselves against anxiety and sadness""Every adult life could be said to be defined by two great love stories. The first—the story of our quest for sexual love. The second—the story of our quest for a love affair with the world.""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.""It is in dialogue and the sharing of ideas with others that we make sense of ourselves.""We are all routinely encouraged to become cynical, despairing and bitter; the trick is to tell the truth without falling into these traps.""The best cure for our loneliness is learning how to communicate and connect better with those around us.""Our lives are not as firmly shaped by the practicalities of our income as by the attitudes we maintain towards our position.""Our strength lies not in surpassing others, but in the realization that we can surpass ourselves.""The true hero is the one who conquers his own anger and hatred.""The greatest threat to our happiness lies in the failure to appreciate the present moment.""In our single life, we should use our time for growth, self-discovery and preparation for future love.""True love is the desire to give, coupled with the realization that it is impossible to receive in return."