Alain de Botton Quotes

Writing in a journal reminds you of your goals and of your learning in life. It offers a place where you can hold a deliberate, thoughtful conversation with yourself.

It's a little silly to finally learn how to write at this age. But I long ago realized I was secretly sincere.

Everything is an experience. You learn something different from everything you do.

People learn the most about themselves by confronting those with whom they deeply disagree..

Books can only reveal us to ourselves, and as often as they do us this service we lay them aside.

I think for a lot of us, you know, what 'Hamilton' gave us the opportunity to, what it gave me the opportunity to do, was to go, 'Here's what I've learned in 35 years.'

Each day you learn something new. Professionally, personally and even emotionally, because the emotional aspect is so important.

You can learn a lot if you become a student of what's happening to you.

I learned the most about myself, and you ask what I learned? Well, I learned my strengths and my weaknesses, and it's far more important to learn about your weaknesses than your strengths.

I like to think the world wasn't ready for me, but maybe the truth is that I wasn't ready for the world. I've always arrived too late for my life.

a lesson must be lived in order to be learned and the clarity to see and stop this now that is what i've earned

The lessons of experience are always learned too late.

Nobody teaches life anything.

The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your own life and be taught by it.

I often learn more about myself from listening to the life story of a friend than I do reflecting on my own story.

Spend more time in daily reflection, contemplation and meditation. Had I done that at 20, things would have been very different in my life. But things really were as they needed to be, because I had to learn ... how important it was.

The first thing you learn in life is you're a fool. The last thing you learn in life is you're the same fool.

We teach what we need to learn.

Everybody should have a documentary made about themselves. It's amazing what you see and what you learn.

Understand that you don't know it all. You don't know anything yet. What you've been taught is great, but always go with common sense. And don't marry your first love.

You're always thinking, "What does that add up to?" You can't really get a handle on it. I was curious. I felt like it would be an interesting challenge for me to write down what I'd seen and done and learned - all the convolutions captured in one item that I could look at and get some grip on what the hell happened.

The problem with introspection is that it has no end.

Greece is like a mirror. It makes you suffer. Then you learn.' To live alone?' To live. With what you are.

When you feel the desire for power, you should stay in solitude for some time

A person loves to review his own mind. That is the use of a diary, or journal.