Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton is a Swiss-British philosopher and author known for his works on philosophy, art, and the human condition.

"Don't despair: despair suggests you are in total control and know what is coming. You don't - surrender to events with hope."

Alain de Botton

"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."

Alain de Botton

"We study biology, physics, movements of glaciers... Where are the classes on envy, feeling wronged, despair, bitterness..."

Alain de Botton

"Blessed with riches and possibilities far beyond anything imagined by ancestors who tilled the unpredictable soil of medieval Europe, modern populations have nonetheless shown a remarkable capacity to feel that neither who they are nor what they have is quite enough."

Alain de Botton