Learning to give up on perfection may be just about the most romantic move any of us could make. Alain de Botton More Quotes by Alain de Botton More Quotes From Alain de Botton We keep a special place in our hearts for people who refuse to be impressed by us. Alain de Botton specialheartpeople Feeling lost, crazy and desperate belongs to a good life as much as optimism, certainty and reason. Alain de Botton good-lifeoptimismcrazy We fall in love because we long to escape from ourselves with someone as beautiful, intelligent, and witty as we are ugly, stupid, and dull. But what if such a perfect being should one day turn around and decide they will love us back? We can only be somewhat shocked-how can they be as wonderful as we had hoped when they have the bad taste to approve of someone like us? Alain de Botton falling-in-lovewittybeautiful Most of us still caged within careers chosen for us by our not entirely worldly 18-22 year old selves. Alain de Botton careersselfyears We often lose our tempers not with those who are actually to blame; just with those who love us enough to forgive us our foul moods. Alain de Botton blameforgivingmood Forgiveness requires a sense that bad behaviour is a sign of suffering rather than malice. Alain de Botton malicebehavioursuffering Socrates, on being insulted in the marketplace, asked by a passerby, "Don't you worry about being called names?" retorted, "Why? Do you think I should resent it if an ass had kicked me? Alain de Botton namesworrythinking The only way to be happy is to realise how much depends on how you look at things Alain de Botton realisinglooksway Maturity: the confidence to have no opinions on many things. Alain de Botton maturityopinioninspiring People only get really interesting when they start to rattle the bars of their cages. Alain de Botton barspeopleinteresting People who readily accept the need for a gym will resist that their personalities might need some work too. Alain de Botton personalitypeopleneeds There may be significant things to learn about people by looking at what annoys them most. Alain de Botton significant-thingsmaypeople The difference between hope and despair is a different way of telling stories from the same facts. Alain de Botton despairdifferencesdifferent Though it may feel otherwise, enjoying life is no more dangerous than apprehending it with continuous anxiety and gloom. Alain de Botton enjoy-lifeanxietyworry Must being in love always mean being in pain? Alain de Botton being-in-lovepainmean Everyone returns us to a different sense of ourselves, for we become a little of who they think we are. Alain de Botton returndifferentthinking Envy: a confused, tangled guide to one's own ambitions. Alain de Botton envyconfusedambition A good half of the art of living is resilience. Alain de Botton resiliencehalfart Work is most fulfilling when you're at the comfortable, exciting edge of not quite knowing what you are doing. Alain de Botton fulfillingknowingexciting Our sadness won’t be of the searing kind but more like a blend of joy and melancholy: joy at the perfection we see before us, melancholy at an awareness of how seldom we are sufficiently blessed to encounter anything of its kind. The flawless object throws into perspective the mediocrity that surrounds it. We are reminded of the way we would wish things always to be and of how incomplete our lives remain. Alain de Botton perspectivesadnessblessed
