The fear of saying something stupid (which stupid people never have) has censored far more good ideas than bad ones.

The fear of saying something stupid (which stupid people never have) has censored far more good ideas than bad ones.

Alain de Botton

Every time we feel satisfied with what we have, we can be counted as rich, however little we may actually possess.

Every time we feel satisfied with what we have, we can be counted as rich, however little we may actually possess.

Our responses to the world are crucially moulded by the company we keep, for we temper our curiosity to fit in with the expectations of others.

Our responses to the world are crucially moulded by the company we keep, for we temper our curiosity to fit in with the expectations of others.

Feeling lost, crazy and desperate belongs to a good life as much as optimism, certainty and reason.

Feeling lost, crazy and desperate belongs to a good life as much as optimism, certainty and reason.

Unhappiness can stem from having only one perspective to play with.

Unhappiness can stem from having only one perspective to play with.

A good half of the art of living is resilience.

A good half of the art of living is resilience.

We keep a special place in our hearts for people who refuse to be impressed by us.

We keep a special place in our hearts for people who refuse to be impressed by us.

The best cure for one's bad tendencies is to see them in action in another person.

The best cure for one's bad tendencies is to see them in action in another person.

What should worry us is not the number of people that oppose us, but how good their reasons are for doing so.

What should worry us is not the number of people that oppose us, but how good their reasons are for doing so.

Reputation matters so much only because people so seldom think for themselves.

Reputation matters so much only because people so seldom think for themselves.

Not everyone is worth listening to.

Not everyone is worth listening to.

True love is a lack of desire to check one's smartphone in another's presence.

True love is a lack of desire to check one's smartphone in another's presence.

Envy: a confused, tangled guide to one's own ambitions.

Envy: a confused, tangled guide to one's own ambitions.

One kind of good book should leave you asking: how did the author know that about me?

One kind of good book should leave you asking: how did the author know that about me?

What is fascinating about marriage is why anyone wants to get married.

What is fascinating about marriage is why anyone wants to get married.

We will cease to be angry once we cease to be so hopeful.

We will cease to be angry once we cease to be so hopeful.

The greatest works of art speak to us without knowing us.

The greatest works of art speak to us without knowing us.

One of the better guarantors of ending up in a good relationship: an advanced capacity to be alone.

One of the better guarantors of ending up in a good relationship: an advanced capacity to be alone.

It is by finding out what something is not that one comes closest to understanding what it is.

It is by finding out what something is not that one comes closest to understanding what it is.