I passionately believe that's it's not just what you say that counts, it's also how you say it - that the success of your argument critically depends on your manner of presenting it. Alain de Botton argumentcountcritically Change image and share on social
I was foreign and Jewish, with a funny name, and was very small and hated sport, a real problem at an English prep school. So the way to get round it was to become the school joker, which I did quite effectively - I was always fooling around to make the people who would otherwise dump me in the loo laugh. Alain de Botton dumpeffectivelyenglish share on social
I assemble my ideas in pieces on a computer file, then gradually find a place for them on a piece of scaffolding I erect. Alain de Botton assemblecomputererect Change image and share on social
Kant and Hegel are interesting thinkers. But I am happy to insist that they are also terrible writers. Alain de Botton happyhegelinsist Change image and share on social
I know a lot about writing, but I don't know much about how other industries work. I've tried to use my naivety to my advantage. Alain de Botton advantagehaveindustry Change image and share on social
As an atheist, I think there are lots of things religions get up to which are of value to non-believers - and one of those things is trying to be a bit better than we normally manage to be. Alain de Botton atheistbelieverbite Change image and share on social
I am not a foodie, thank goodness. I will eat pretty much anything. A lot of my friends are getting incredibly fussy about food and I see it as a bit of an affliction. Alain de Botton afflictionbiteeat Change image and share on social
What bothers me is that there is so much emphasis on food, rather than gathering and meeting - so that there is all this effort in creating the right food, whereas the food is only a small part of whether the encounter is successful or not. Alain de Botton bothercreateeffort share on social
I went to church and couldn't swallow it. The music was nice but I don't belong there. Alain de Botton belongchurchmusic Change image and share on social