Alain de Botton Quotes

as the determinants of high status keep shifting, so, too, naturally, will the triggers of status anxiety be altered.

There's an unspoken rule in affluent circles that suggests you can always define an individual's status by measuring his or her proximity to the most influential person in the room. And as the maxim goes, closer is always better.

At dinner parties I sit below the salt now. There are a lot of interesting people there.

The Social Register is a nice address book for some people, but that's about it.

Self-respect, the value of 'face,' is universal but is most pronounced in China, then in Japan where the Confucian ethic is most influential.

In Europe, you would almost never have people with large amounts of income being happy with a two-volume vehicle like a hatchback or a minivan. They want to structurally show their societal position, which is why three volumes are so popular. They show 'I'm part of that hierarchy.'

A good reputation is more valuable than money.

I believe in status symbols.

A chair's function is not just to provide a place to sit; it is to provide a medium for self-expression. Chairs are about status, for example. Or signalling something about oneself. That's why the words chair, seat and bench have found themselves used to describe high status professions, from academia to Parliament to the law.

A court is an assembly of noble and distinguished beggars.

Class is more important than a game.

Nobility is a graceful ornament to the civil order.

Kings need the company of the intelligent far more than the intelligent need the company of kings.

A Plowman on his knees is higher than a Gentleman on his legs.

The herd seek out the great, not for their sake but for their influence; and the great welcome them out of vanity or need.

I learned early that class is universally admired.

As social animals we humans are very sensitive to our rank and position within any group. We can measure our status by the attention and respect we receive.

Social standing does not necessarily translate to social acceptance.

Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.

It was - it's always very nice to be somebody rather grand.

The gift derives its value from the rank of the giver.

...if you're trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down on you anyhow. And if you're trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone.

Class is an intangible quality which commands, rather than demands, the respect of others.

College wasn't like the real world. In the real world people dropped names based on their renown. In college, people dropped names based on their obscurity.

The superior man does what is proper to the station in which he is; he does not desire to go beyond this. In a position of wealth and honor, he does what is proper to a position of wealth and honor. In a poor and low position, he does what is proper to a poor and low position.