.. if you asked most people whether they believed in love or not, theyโd probably say they didnโt. Yet thatโs not necessarily what they truly think. Itโs just the way they defend themselves against what they want. They believe in it, but pretend they donโt until theyโre allowed to. Most people would throw away all their cynicism if they could. The majority just never gets the chance.
Alain de BottonThere is real danger of a disconnect between what's on your business card and who you are deep inside, and it's not a disconnect that the world is ready to be patient with.
Alain de BottonWe are sad at home and blame the weather and the ugliness of the buildings, but on the tropical island we learn that the state of the skies and the appearance of our dwellings can never on their own underwrite our joy nor condemn us to misery.
Alain de BottonLiterature deeply stands opposed to the dominant value system-the one that rewards money and power. Writers are on the other side-they make us sympathetic to ideas and feelings that are of deep importance but canโt afford airtime in a commercialized, status-consciou s, and cynical world.
Alain de Botton