Pronounce a lover 'perfect' can only be a sign that we have failed to understand them. We can claim to have begun to know someone only when they have… - Alain de Botton

We can claim to have begun to know someone only when they have substantially disappointed us.

"The desire for high status is never stronger than in situations where "ordinary" life fails to answer a median need for dignity and comfort."

Though debts are condemned in the financial world, the world of friendship and love may perversely depend on well-managed debts.

How pleasant to hold in mind, through the crevasses of our moods, at three in the afternoon when lassitude and despair threaten, that there is always a plane taking off for somewhere.