Tag Archives: Alain de Botton

Selected Quotes From “What They Forgot to Teach You In School”

Posted on October 12, 2022 by smellincoffee

Shortly after reading On Love, I found another de Botton title in my library’s e-book collection, What they Forgot to Teach You In School. Unsurprisingly, I soon had four pages of quotes from the book. Below are just a few. … Continue reading →

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On Love

Posted on September 29, 2022 by smellincoffee

On Love / The Course of Love / Essays on Love© 2006 Alain de Botton240 pages “The philosopher in the bedroom is as ludicrous a figure as the philosopher in the nightclub,” Alain de  Botton offers in On Love,  a … Continue reading →

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The Architecture of Happiness

Posted on August 5, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Architecture of Happiness © 2006 Alain de Botton 280 pages I never thought much about the meaning of architecture until attending a lecture by James Howard Kunstler, given at my university in autumn 2008, entitled “Peak Oil and the … Continue reading →

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Status Anxiety

Posted on February 7, 2019 by smellincoffee

Status Anxiety© 2004 Alain de Botton 306 pages Who said “comparison is the thief of joy”?  If they hadn’t, Alain de Botton would, as here he argues that most of our misery comes from the constant comparison of ourselves to others … Continue reading →

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The News

Posted on April 2, 2016 by smellincoffee

The News: A User’s Manual© 2014 Alain de Botton272 pages The news more than any other modern institution has taken the role of shaping a nation’s collective consciousness, but  what shape does that leave us in? Alain de Botton’s The … Continue reading →

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And now, the News

Posted on March 20, 2016 by smellincoffee

There seem to be very few reasons not to despair of the human race. If asked why it has decided to tell us all this, and is driving us more than a little made as a result, the news will … Continue reading →

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Religion for Atheists

Posted on August 18, 2013 by smellincoffee

Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion© 2012 Alain de Botton320 pages What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: sheikhs, airplanes, and VW vans

Posted on March 16, 2013 by smellincoffee

This past Thursday, some friends drove me three hours into the woods, dropped me off in the midst of some 70 strangers, and left me there. They called it “Cursillo”, and it was a spiritual retreat which I liked enormously … Continue reading →

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The Consolations of Philosophy

Posted on October 11, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Consolations of Philosophy © 2000 Alain de Botton 278 pages A number of months ago, I stumbled by chance upon a fascinating television series called Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness. Host Alain de Botton addressed the everyday concerns of … Continue reading →

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The Art of Travel

Posted on July 8, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Art of Travel © 2002 Alain de Botton 255 pages I recently discovered that a short six-episode series on philosophy and its relationship to happiness hosted on YouTube were based on host Alain de Botton’s Consolations of Philosophy, a … Continue reading →

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