It is in books, poems, paintings which often give us the confidence to take seriously feelings in ourselves that we might otherwise never have thought to acknowledge.
Alain De BottonRead
Being content is perhaps no less easy than playing the violin well: and requires no less practice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Finding contentment in life requires effort and practice, similar to mastering a skill.
Alain De Botton suggests that achieving a state of contentment is a skill that demands the same level of dedication and practice as learning to play the violin. Just as one must constantly refine their musical abilities, so too must individuals invest time and effort into cultivating a content and fulfilling life, emphasizing that happiness is not a passive state but an active pursuit.
Themes
ContentmentHappinessPracticeSkillEffort
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about mental health.
More from Alain De Botton
All quotes βTaking architecture seriously therefore makes some singular and strenuous demands upon us...It means conceding that we are inconveniently vulnerable to the colour of our wallpaper and that our sense of purpose may be derailed by an unfortunate bedspread
Alain De BottonRead
The more closely we analyze what we consider 'sexy,' the more clearly we will understand that eroticism is the feeling of excitement we experience at finding another human being who shares our values and our sense of the meaning of existence.
Alain De BottonRead
Good books put a finger on emotions that are deeply our own - but that we could never have described on our own.
Alain De BottonRead
The challenge of modern relationships: how to prove more interesting than the other's smartphone.
Alain De BottonRead
It is the most ambitious and driven among us who are the most sorely in need of having our reckless hopes dampened through immersive dousings in the darkness which religions have explored. This is a particular priority for secular Americans, perhaps the most anxious and disappointed people on earth, for their nation infuses them with the most extreme hopes about what they may be able to achieve in their working lives and relationships.
Alain De BottonRead
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