Journeys are the midwives of thought. Few places are more conducive to internal conversations than moving planes, ships or trains.
Alain de BottonDiffer though we might with Christianity's view of what precisely our souls need, it is hard to discredit the provocative underlying thesis, which seems no less relevant in the secular realm than in the religious one-that we have within us a precious, childlike, vulnerable core which we should nourish and nurture on its turbulent journey through life.
Alain de BottonBooksellers are the most valuable destination for the lonely, given the numbers of books that were written because authors couldn't find anyone to talk to.
Alain de BottonIt's hard loving those who don't much like themselves: "If you're so great, why would you think I'm so great.
Alain de BottonWe read the weird tales in newspapers to crowd out the even weirder stuff inside us.
Alain de BottonIt is the most ambitious and driven among us who are the most sorely in need of having our reckless hopes dampened through immersive dousings in the darkness which religions have explored. This is a particular priority for secular Americans, perhaps the most anxious and disappointed people on earth, for their nation infuses them with the most extreme hopes about what they may be able to achieve in their working lives and relationships.
Alain de Botton