7 Alain de Botton Empath Quotes on Fame
From ‘The News: A User’s Manual’ (2014) [Amazon]
Who is Alain de Botton?
A Swiss-born British writer with eclectic interests and remarkable eloquence. He surfaced in 1969 and published a bestseller novel in 1993. His first non-fiction book came in 1997, straddling genre boundaries and spanning topics from philosophy to architecture to work to travel. In 2008, he co-founded The School of Life. It seeks to direct knowledge towards life, rather than for its own sake.
The News: A User’s Manual was published in 2014. Here are 7 empath quotes on the topic of fame, relating a sensitivity to the human condition which subverts common stereotypes of philosophers. Vote on them to show your appreciation!
Empath Quotes from ‘The News’
“Each person we envy possesses some piece of the jigsaw puzzle depicting our possible future condition.”
“The impulse to admire is an ineradicable and important feature of our psyches. Ignoring or condemning it won’t kill it off; it will simply force it underground, where it will lurk untended and undeveloped, prone to latch on to inappropriate targets.”
“At the heart of the desire for fame lies a touching, vulnerable and simple aspiration: a longing to be treated nicely.”
“The wish to be famous is a bid to have our dignity fully respected in a world where it almost certainly won’t be unless we are prepared to take extreme measures.”
“The urge to gossip and the desire for fame spring from the very same ill: both are caused by a shortage of attention.”
“A decade of parental love can give a person strength enough to cope with fifty years of insignificance.”
“The only childhood properly deserving of the epithet ‘privileged’ is one in which the child’s emotional needs were adequately met.”
Personal Thoughts
Frankly, too many to tend to with these empath quotes. This betrays what I have known on a rational level: I need some good chats with my emotions. I have been unabashed in the spirit of the first, of admiration for the promise of studious emulation. But fame conflicts me. In the quest for an audience, the desire to make a difference most often enmeshes with the desire for affirmation.
Doubt is inevitable. But should one persist or should one concede? Is extrication but an escape?
A downside to the intellectual arena of academia is this disconnect from emotions. Could this have been on Alain de Botton’s mind when he turned his back on academia to write for a general audience? Regardless, what an excellent decision! He exemplifies how life after academia can be even more imaginative and productive. I’m in awe.
