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Workers were occupied with the ancient task of trying to stay alive, which simply happened to require, in a consumer economy overwhelmingly based on the satisfaction of peripheral desires, a series of activities all to easily confused with clownishness.

— 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)

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

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work (2009)

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

The Consolations of Philosophy (2000)

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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.