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
I'm also interested in the modern suggestion that you can have a combination of love and sex in a marriage - which no previous society has ever believed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights a contemporary view on marriage that combines love and sexual intimacy, challenging historical norms.
Alain De Botton's quote reflects a progressive understanding of marriage in the modern world, where the integration of love and sex is seen as a desirable and achievable state within the institution of marriage. Historically, many societies have held different views regarding the roles of love and sexual relations, often separating them or placing higher value on one over the other. This suggests a shift in social dynamics and personal expectations in romantic relationships.
Themes
MarriageLoveSexRelationshipSociety
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on modern marriage dynamics.
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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The challenge of modern relationships: how to prove more interesting than the other's smartphone.
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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.
Alain De BottonRead
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