“If the world seems unfair or beyond our understanding, sublime places suggest that it is not surprising that things should be thus. We are the playthings of the forces that laid out the oceans and chiselled the mountains.”

British author and public speaker

Alain de Botton is a British author and public speaker known for writing about contemporary life and for making philosophy feel useful in everyday settings. His work often turns to common experiences and asks how ideas can help explain them. Among his best-known books are Essays in Love, which sold two million copies, How Proust Can Change Your Life, Status Anxiety, and The Architecture of Happiness.