My greatest joy comes from creativity: from feeling that I have been able to identify a certain aspect of human nature and crystallise a phenomenon in words. Alain de Botton aspectcreativitycrystallise Change image and share on social
When work is not going well, it's useful to remember that our identities stretch beyond what is on the business card, that we were people long before we became workers - and will continue to be human once we have put our tools down forever. Alain de Botton businesscardcontinue share on social
My father paid for my education; then he made it clear that I was on my own. Alain de Botton cleareducationfather Change image and share on social
I learnt to stop fantasising about the perfect job or the perfect relationship because that can actually be an excuse for not living. Alain de Botton excusefantasisejob Change image and share on social
When I see someone like Richard Dawkins, I see my father. I grew up with that. I'm basically the child of Richard Dawkins. Alain de Botton basicallychilddawkin Change image and share on social
I am conscious of trying to stretch the boundaries of non-fiction writing. It's always surprised me how little attention many non-fiction writers pay to the formal aspects of their work. Alain de Botton aspectattentionboundary Change image and share on social
I keep a picture of my beloved children close by. Also, water and plenty of pads and pens. Alain de Botton belovedchildclose 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
Never, ever become a writer. It's a nightmare. Alain de Botton nightmarewriter Change image and share on social
I always feel that I am writing for somebody who is bright but impatient. Someone who doesn't have unlimited time. That is my sense of the reader. So I have got to get to the point. Alain de Botton brightfeelimpatient Change image and share on social