ALAIN DE BOTTON, The Architecture of Happiness

Wealth is not an absolute. It is relative to desire. Every time we yearn for something we cannot afford, we grow poorer, whatever our resources. And every time we feel satisfied with what we have, we can be counted as rich, however little we may actually possess.

ALAIN DE BOTTON, Status Anxiety

To look at the paper is to raise a seashell to one's ear and to be overwhelmed by the roar of humanity.

ALAIN DE BOTTON, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

Newspapers are being read all around. The point is not, of course, to glean new information, but rather to coax the mind out of its sleep-induced introspective temper.

ALAIN DE BOTTON, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

He was marked out by his relentless ability to find fault with others' mediocrity--suggesting that a certain type of intelligence may be at heart nothing more or less than a superior capacity for dissatisfaction.

ALAIN DE BOTTON, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

The largest part of what we call 'personality' is determined by how we’ve opted to defend ourselves against anxiety and sadness.

ALAIN DE BOTTON, attributed, "22 Calming Quotes for People with Anxiety", Psychology Today, September 17, 2014