Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

On Confidence

By: The School of Life, Alain de Botton
Narrated by: Alain de Botton
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $11.69

Buy for $11.69

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A thought-provoking essay that teaches us that confidence is not a gift from the gods, but a skill that can be learned.

We spend vast amounts of time acquiring confidence in narrow technical fields: quadratic equations or bioengineering; economics or pole vaulting. But we overlook the primordial need to acquire a more free-ranging variety of confidence - one that can serve us across a range of tasks: speaking to strangers at parties, asking someone to marry us, suggesting a fellow passenger turn down their music, changing the world.

This is a guidebook to confidence, why we lack it and how we can acquire more of it in our lives. On Confidence walks us gently and wryly around the key issues that stop us from making more of our potential.

©2020 The School of Life (P)2020 The School of Life
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about On Confidence

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    151
  • 4 Stars
    22
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    129
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    115
  • 4 Stars
    22
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Poignant and timeless

The School of Life and Alain de Botton can be the best friends we never had during these trying times (review written August 2020). This book is only an hour long, but a great listen to and from long commutes. If you're familiar with their YouTube films it can feel bit redundant. But if like me, you tend to forget things quickly, the familiarity the content is part of its charm.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really liked it

It's always a pleasure to listen to de Botton's, he's very intelligent and he thinks a lot like me, despite him being an atheist, I still enjoy his books a lot

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Always like their books

A good foundation on understanding confidence. I wish it added how to build confidence as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Favorite this

This book is an exquisite relief from either the shrinking of insecurity or false bravado of a “name it and claim it” kind of confidence. In both content and performance, it offers a substantive and galvanizing perspective of what confidence really is, and why it matters in living a fulfilled and wholesome life. Listen to it every month.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

It heals

Like other books and videos produced by the School of Life, it heals. The perspectives of the author made me realise the wounds I carried since childhood. And with this new self-understanding, it shed lights upon many challenges I face as an adult. They aren’t as grim and as hopeless as I thought. With the right effort, we can start to make them well. And this is a huge relief.

Alain de Botton, as always, presents the ideas with the most passionate, comforting and reassuring voice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Yes, it’s short, but it’s also packed with wisdom and insight well worth one credit. As a matter of fact, I have thoroughly appreciated all of Alain’s other writings on Audible as well!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tons of helpful and inspiring insight packed into 1 hr

A great read for anyone. This book helps the reader understand why confidence is important to success and happiness and why so many of us struggle with it. It’s a lot of wonderful inspiring insight packed into a quick easy read. If I could request anything more is that the book come out with a sequel that elaborates on more ways and practice to help increase the skill and muscle that is confidence in one’s self.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

inspiring, challenging, affirming

What an incredible listen, Alan is able to pierce the thin veil of cultural custom and reveal the absurdities and assumptions we make as people in the 21st century. His simplicity and precision is like that of an artist whom truly knows his medium. His presentation style is accessible, profound and enlivening. At only an hour and a half this is an incredibly powerful book that anyone should listen to and continue to revisit as these simple pros of behavior and understanding can slip out of our awareness leaving ourselves and others lesser for it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

self improvement 🧠💡

I feel like I understand what confidence means! it says I need at least 15 words to write this review 🤣🤣

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Confidence

A delightful refresher on how to laugh at yourself and reminder that we all have our moments of ‘being dim-witted’😁

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!