Search Results for “Alain de Botton”

Alain de Botton — A School of Life for Atheists

September 14th, 2019

On the latest On Being podcast with Krista Tippett, philosopher and best-selling author Alain de Botton talks about his new book Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion.

Alain de Botton is an atheist, but his perspective on religion is far more complicated.

Instead of debunking religion in thinking that all pious people are idiots — as some atheists may presume — he shines a light on some of the things where religion excels: in values, wisdom, communions, and “the wonders of religious architecture.” As he says nearly eight minutes in:

“These religions at their highest points, at their most complex and subtle moments, are far too interesting to be abandoned merely to those who believe in them.”
Alain de Botton

His book is therefore not for atheists alone, but for the believers who may find Botton’s perspective reconfirming. Above all, Botton proposes toleration, not necessarily that we agree with each other but we “make space for the stranger” who holds different views and accepts them as is. ‘Developing emotion intelligence’ is at the heart of Botton’s own academy, The School of Life.
Alain de Botton: When the work begins

September 21st, 2019

via Twitter

“Work finally begins when the fear of doing nothing exceeds the fear of doing it badly.”
Alain de Botton
If you’re struggling to get started, do it badly

January 21st, 2021

“Work finally begins when the fear of doing nothing exceeds the fear of doing it badly,” advises the author Alain de Botton.

Perfection is the antithesis of inspiration — it prevents you from getting started.

The trick to getting going is to do it badly. To do that, one must be intentionally messy. The art of spontaneity asks you to start before you’re ready. Don’t over-think the process; intensify the habit of doing.

The emancipatory power in getting started helps jumpstart creativity.

Producing crap isn’t the end-goal. There is no quality without quantity — first, we get going, then we deduce.

“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”
Margaret Atwood

The point of taking small actions is to create enough momentum to feel like we’re winning. You’re looking to go from one pushup a day to two the next week, four thousand steps a day to five-hundred.

You’ll need to write one-hundred words day after day before developing the muscle to consistently get down two-hundred words. By the way, there is no such thing as writer’s block!

Do small things to get started — no matter how poorly — to avoid second-guessing yourself and prime the motivational pump.
Alain de Botton: ‘Cynics are only idealists with awkwardly high standards’

May 2nd, 2018

“…a decision to avoid people shouldn’t imply that one has no desire whatever for company. It may simply reflect a dissatisfaction with what is available. Cynics are only idealists with awkwardly high standards. In Chamfort’s words: ‘It is sometimes said of a man who lives alone that he does not like society. This is like saying of a man that he does not like going for walks because he is not fond of walking at night in the forét de Bondy.’

— Alain de Botton, [easyazon_link identifier=”0375725350″ locale=”US” tag=”wells01-20″]Status Anxiety[/easyazon_link]
‘The only people we can think of as normal are those we don’t yet know very well’

June 12th, 2018

The only people we can think of as normal are those we don’t yet know very well.

— Alain de Botton
Know Yourself prompt cards from The School of Life

December 6th, 2018

More introspective goodies from the School of Life folks, led by philosopher Alain de Botton. These prompt cards remind me of those Brian Eno Oblique Strategies (Amazon) cards that help creatives get unstuck from thinking blocks.
Prompt cards

June 25th, 2018

Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies has been helping people defeat their creative block since the mid-1970s.

But Alain de Botton’s The School of Life is taking the concept a bit further and applying the deadlock to other life’s philosophies such as a career crisis, kindness, self-knowledge, calm and confidence.