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
Writing a book has about it some of the anxiety of telling a joke and having to wait several years to know whether or not it was funny.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing a book involves uncertainty about its reception, similar to the delayed feedback of telling a joke.
Alain De Botton's quote highlights the inherent anxiety that writers face when publishing a book. Just as a comedian experiences a waiting period to gauge the audience's reaction to a joke, authors often have to wait a long time to understand how their work is received and whether it resonates with readers, creating a deep sense of vulnerability and anticipation.
Themes
WritingAnxietyBooksHumorFeedback
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, you could use this quote to discuss the emotional challenges of being an author.
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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