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
Reputation matters so much only because people so seldom think for themselves.
Interpretation
Reputation influences people's opinions, often overshadowing independent thought.
This quote by Alain De Botton highlights the importance of reputation in society, suggesting that many people do not engage in critical thinking or form their own opinions. As a result, they rely heavily on the perceptions established by others, which can lead to a conformist mindset where personal judgment is undervalued.
In practice
During a discussion on social media ethics, this quote can remind participants to think critically rather than follow popular opinions.
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.
Taking 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
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.
Good books put a finger on emotions that are deeply our own - but that we could never have described on our own.
The challenge of modern relationships: how to prove more interesting than the other's smartphone.
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.
A good man can be stupid and still be good. But a bad man must have brains.
Perhaps the most striking assault on the foundations of traditional liberties is a little-known case brought to the Supreme Court by the Obama administration, Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project.
I can accept anything, except what seems to be the easiest for most people: the half-way, the almost, the just-about, the in-between.
I have found both freedom and safety in my madness; the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.
In the stream, _x000D_ Rushing past _x000D_ To the dusty world, _x000D_ My fleeting form _x000D_ Casts no reflection.
They miss the whisper that runs any day in your mind, "Who are you really, wanderer?"-- and the answer you have to give no matter how dark and cold the world around you is: "Maybe I'm a king.
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