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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 (2009)

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More quotes by Alain de Botton

It wasn't only fanatics and drunkards who began conversations with strangers in public.

The Consolations of Philosophy (2000)

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

The Consolations of Philosophy (2000)

We should not be frightened by appearances.

The Consolations of Philosophy (2000)

A virtuous, ordinary life, striving for wisdom but never far from folly, is achievement enough.

The Consolations of Philosophy (2000)

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.

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work (2009)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Alain de Botton (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.