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The attentions of others matter to us because we are afflicted by a congenital uncertainty as to our own value, as a result of which affliction we tend to allow others’ appraisals to play a determining role in how we see ourselves. Our sense of identity is held captive by the judgements of those we live among.

Alain de Botton

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Affiche Appraisal Attention Congenital Determine Matter People Uncertainty

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When you look at the Moon, you think, ‘I’m really small. What are my problems?’ It sets things into perspective. We should all look at the Moon a bit more often.
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Look Moon More Often Perspective Problem Really Small Think
Serious journalists often imagine society is adrift because people don’t know certain things.
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Adrift Certain Imaginem Society Journalist Serius Thing
Endeavoring to purchase something we think beautiful may in fact be the most unimaginative way of dealing with the longing it excites in us, just as trying to sleep with someone may be the bluntest response to a feeling of love.
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Beautiful Deal Endeavor Feeling Long Love Purchase Response Something Think Way
When I see someone like Richard Dawkins, I see my father. I grew up with that. I’m basically the child of Richard Dawkins.
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Basically Child Father People See Someone
It was no longer her absence that wounded me, but my growing indifference to it. Forgetting, however calming, was also a reminder of infidelity to what I had at one time held so dear.
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Absence Calm Forget Grow Identify Indifference Longer Reminder Time Wounded
We need a refuge to shore up our states of mind, because so much of the world is opposed to our allegiances. We need our rooms to align us to desirable versions of ourselves and to keep alive the important, evanescent sides of us.
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Allegiance Desirable Important Mind Need Oppose Shore Site State Version World
When Proust urges us to evaluate the world properly, he repeatedly reminds us of the value of modest scenes.
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Evaluate Modest Property Repeatedly Scene Urge Value World
Getting to the top has an unfortunate tendency to persuade people that the system is OK after all.
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After All Get OK People System Tendency Top Unfortunate
People who readily accept the need for a gym will resist that their personalities might need some work too.
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Gym Need People Readily Resist Some Work
It wasn’t only fanatics and drunkards who began conversations with strangers in public.
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Began Conversation Drunkard Fall Humiliate Public Stranger
In their different ways, art and philosophy help us, in Schopenhauer’s words, to turn pain into knowledge.
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Art Different Help Knowledge Pain People Philosophy Way Word
Curiosity might be pictured as being made up of chains of small questions extending outwards, sometimes over huge distances, from a central hub composed of a few blunt, large questions.
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Curiosity Distance Extend Huge Outward Picture Question Small Some Time
Mental health: having enough safe places in your mind for your thoughts to settle.
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Emouhj Health Mental Place Safe Settle
Most of us still caged within careers chosen for us by our not entirely worldly 18-22 year old selves.
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Cage Career Chosen Entirely Most Old Selve Still
Maturity: knowing where you’re crazy, trying to warn others of the fact and striving to keep yourself under control.
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Control Crazy Know Maturity Try Under
There is a longing for a return to a time without the need for choices, free of the regret at the inevitable loss that all choice (however wonderful) has entailed.
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Choice Inevitable Long Loss Need Regret Return Time

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