If we are inclined to forget how much there is in the world besides that which we anticipate, then works of art are perhaps a little to blame, for in them we find at work the same process of simplification or selection as in the imagination.
ALAIN DE BOTTON…if the beginnings of love and amorous politics are equally rosy, then the ends may be equally bloody.
More Alain de Botton Quotes
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As victims of hurt, we frequently don’t bring up what ails us, because so many wounds look absurd in the light of day.
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Bitterness: anger that forgot where it came from.
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One of our major flaws, and causes of unhappiness, is that we find it hard to take note of appreciate and be grateful for what is always around us. We suffer because we lose sight of the value of what is before us and yearn, often unfairly, for the imagined attraction elsewhere.
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One of the best protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on.
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Don’t despair: despair suggests you are in total control and know what is coming. You don’t – surrender to events with hope.
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The challenge for a human now is to be more interesting to another than his or her smartphone.
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There’s a whole category of people who miss out by not allowing themselves to be weird enough.
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These inventors were elevating the formulation of entrepreneurial ideas to the status of a visionary activity. Though forced to justify their efforts in the pragmatic language of venture capital, they were at heart utopian thinkers intent on transforming the world.
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We each appear to hold within ourselves a range of divergent views as to our native qualities.. And amid such uncertainty, we typically turn to the wider world to settle the question of our significance.. we seem beholden to affections of others to endure ourselves.
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The longing for a destiny is no nowhere stronger than in our romantic life. All too often forced to share our bed with those who cannot fathom our soul, can we not be forgiven if we believe ourselves fated to stumble one day upon the man or woman of our dreams.
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In the gap between who we wish one day to be and who we are at present, must come pain, anxiety, envy and humiliation.
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What is fascinating about marriage is why anyone wants to get married.
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What should worry us is not the number of people that oppose us, but how good their reasons are for doing so.
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We are all more intelligent than we are capable, and awareness of the insanity of love has never saved anyone from the disease.
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In the works of Lucretius, we find two reasons why we shouldn’t worry about death. If you have had a successful life, Lucretius tell us, there’s no reason to mind its end. And, if you haven’t had a good time, “Why do you seek to add more years, which would also pass but ill?”
ALAIN DE BOTTON






