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
The central task for a business is to make a profit. The challenge is to make a profit by doing things which are genuinely good for people and good for societies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A business's primary goal is to be profitable, but it is essential to achieve this by positively impacting people and society.
This quote highlights the dual mission of businesses today: while the fundamental objective is to generate profit, the method of achieving this profit is increasingly scrutinized in terms of its ethical implications. Alain De Botton suggests that businesses have a responsibility to ensure that their operations not only benefit their own bottom line but also contribute positively to society and the well-being of individuals.
Themes
ProfitBusinessEthicsSocietyResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
In a business ethics class to illustrate the importance of ethical profit-making.
More from Alain De Botton
All quotes →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
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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.
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Good books put a finger on emotions that are deeply our own - but that we could never have described on our own.
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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.
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