The essential guide to how to live wisely and well in the twenty-first century

Introduced and edited by Alain de Botton, the bestselling author of The Consolations of Philosophy, The Art of Travel andThe Course of Love – The School of Life is a comprehensive guide to the modern art of emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence affects every aspect of the way we live, from romantic to professional relationships, from our inner resilience to our social success. It is arguably the single most important skill for surviving the twenty-first century. But what does it really mean?

One decade ago, Alain de Botton founded The School of Life, an institute dedicated to understanding and improving our emotional intelligence. Now he presents the gathered wisdom of those ten years: a wide-ranging and innovative compendium of emotional intelligence. Using the mixture of social analysis, philosophical insight and practical wisdom which has come to define the School of Life’s essential work, this book considers how we interact with each other and with ourselves, and how we can do so better.

Praise for Alain de Botton:

‘What he has managed to do is remarkable: to help us think better so that we may live better lives’ Irish Times

‘A serious and optimistic set of practical ideas that could improve and alter the way we live’ Jeanette Winterson, The Times

‘Alain de Botton likes to take big, complex subjects and write about them with thoughtful and deceptive innocence’ Observer

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