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
Maturity: knowing where you're crazy, trying to warn others of the fact and striving to keep yourself under control.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Maturity involves self-awareness and self-control while navigating one's own flaws.
This quote by Alain De Botton emphasizes that maturity is not just about age but rather an understanding of one's own irrationalities and the effort to manage them. It suggests that recognizing one's imperfections and being willing to inform others about them, while also working on personal self-discipline, is a key aspect of being mature.
Themes
MaturitySelf-AwarenessControlWisdomPersonal Growth
In practice
Example use cases
In a seminar about personal development, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of self-awareness in achieving maturity.
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
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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.
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.
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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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