
The School of Life
An Emotional Education
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Narrated by:
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Alain de Botton
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Charlie Anson
About this listen
How to live wisely and well in the twenty-first century—an introduction 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 in a wide-ranging and innovative compendium of emotional intelligence that forms an introduction to The School of Life. Using his trademark mixture of analysis and anecdote, philosophical insight and practical wisdom, he considers how we interact with each other and with ourselves, and how we can do so better. From the beloved expert of popular philosophy, The School of Life: An Emotional Education is an essential look at the skill set that defines our modern lives.
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF THE SCHOOL OF LIFE'S WORK developing emotional intelligence around the world.
AN UPDATED ANTHOLOGY of The School of Life's best loved works.
FOREWORD BY ALAIN DE BOTTON, the celebrated author, philosopher, and School of Life founder.
DRAWS ON PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, LITERATURE, AND VISUAL ART to equip listeners with the skills we truly need to thrive.
CHAPTERS INCLUDE SELF, OTHERS, RELATIONSHIPS, WORK, AND CULTURE
©2019 The School of Life (P)2022 The School of LifeListeners also enjoyed...
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We probably went to school for what felt like a very long time. We probably took care with our homework. Along the way we surely learned intriguing things about equations, the erosion of glaciers, the history of the Middle Ages, and the tenses of foreign languages. But why, despite all the lessons we sat through, were we never taught the really important things that dominate and trouble our lives: who to start a relationship with, how to trust people, how to understand one’s psyche, how to move on from sorrow or betrayal, and how to cope with anxiety and shame?
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-
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- By: The School of Life
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Performance
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When trying to deal with our current troubles and anxieties, it can be deeply irritating to be asked to consider our childhoods. They happened so long ago; we can probably barely remember, let alone relate to, the little person we once were. But one of the most powerful explanations for why we may, as adults, be struggling, is that we were denied the opportunity to fully be ourselves in our earliest years. This book is a guide to better understanding our younger selves in order to shape who we wish to be in the future.
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An essential read.
- By Anonymous User on 12-03-23
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How to Survive the Modern World
- Making Sense of, and Finding Calm in, Unsteady Times
- By: The School of Life
- Narrated by: Rachel Lanning
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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How to Survive the Modern World is the ultimate guide to navigating our unusual times. It identifies a range of themes that present acute challenges to our mental wellbeing. The book tackles our relationship to the news media, our ideas of love and sex, our assumptions about money and our careers, our attitudes to animals and the natural world, our admiration for science and technology, our belief in individualism and secularism–and our suspicion of quiet and solitude.
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school of life - yes. Narrator - no
- By Kindle Customer on 04-08-25
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A Simpler Life
- A Guide to Greater Serenity, Ease and Clarity
- By: The School of Life
- Narrated by: Rachel Lanning
- Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The modern world can be a complicated, frenzied, and noisy place, filled with too many options, products, ideas and opinions. That explains why what many of us long for is simplicity: a life that can be more pared down, peaceful, and focused on the essentials. But finding simplicity is not always easy; it isn’t just a case of emptying out our closets or trimming back commitments in our diaries. True simplicity requires that we understand the roots of our distractions – and develop a canny respect for the stubborn reasons why things can grow complex and overwhelming.
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Bite-size practical tips for a better life
- By Tonya Kubo on 02-12-22
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Anxiety
- Meditations on the Anxious Mind
- By: The School of Life
- Narrated by: Rachel Lanning
- Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a guide to anxiety: why we feel it, how we experience it when it strikes, and what we can do when we come under its influence. Across a series of essays that look at the subject from a number of angles, the tone is helpful, compassionate, and in the best sense, practical.
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Insightfulness
- By Anonymous User on 06-10-23
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Father to Son
- Life Lessons on Raising a Boy
- By: Harry H. Harrison Jr.
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Warm and fuzzy, anchored in values, and filled with simple words of wisdom, this beloved, best-selling book for parents speaks to the important business of raising sons, and distills their timeless lessons into nuggets of wisdom - some lighthearted, some serious, some practical, and some intangible, and all supported by a strong moral backbone.
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List of What to do, not Why or principles behind it
- By Ben on 02-15-25
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The Consolations of Philosophy
- By: Alain de Botton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Alain de Botton has performed a stunning feat: He has transformed arcane philosophy into something accessible and entertaining, useful and kind. Drawing on the work of six of the world's most brilliant thinkers, de Botton has arranged a panoply of wisdom to guide us through our most common problems.
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Cheering, empathic, helpful
- By Austin on 11-11-09
By: Alain de Botton
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Status Anxiety
- By: Alain de Botton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a book about an almost universal anxiety that is rarely mentioned: an anxiety about what others think of us, about whether we're judged a success or a failure, a winner or a loser. This is a book about status anxiety. Best-selling author Alain de Botton asks, with lucidity and charm, where our worries about status come from and what, if anything, we can do to surmount them.
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False Advertising!
- By Jon on 08-02-07
By: Alain de Botton
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The Secrets of Successful Relationships
- The Secrets Series, Book 1
- By: The School of Life
- Narrated by: Rachel Lanning
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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It can sometimes seem a mystery why some couples stay together and thrive—while many more split up or drag on scratchily. While we might think happy love is left to chance, there are some identifiable secrets that underpin good relationships that we can learn and put into practice. The first title of a new series, The Secrets of Successful Relationships draws upon the expertise of The School of Life therapists to teach us the key ingredients of contented love.
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Habit of Winning
- By: Prakash Iyer
- Narrated by: Andrew Hoffland
- Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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This motivational audiobook is a wonderful collection of short and inspirational stories and facts that have the power to evoke the leader within oneself. Be it a student or a manager, this audiobook is for everyone and for all ages.
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India market focus and heavy on cricket and sports
- By Mike Mc on 03-22-19
By: Prakash Iyer
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The Architecture of Happiness
- By: Alain de Botton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the great, but often unmentioned, causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of chairs, walls, buildings, and streets that surround us. And yet, a concern for architecture is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulgent. Alain de Botton starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences who we can be, and argues that it is architecture's task to stand as an eloquent reminder of our full potential.
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Many elegant words used for a simple topic.
- By Spirit on 08-15-17
By: Alain de Botton
The school of life needs to be in schools.
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If you know, you know!
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An amazing emotional education
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I read the paperback copy before listening to the audio book and gained so much insight that i overlooked while reading it rather than heading it.
some chapters become a little redundant but nothing mentioned goes unexplained
truly difficult to recuse oneself from
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Beautifully written helpful wisdom!
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Brilliant and nourishing
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A life changing experience
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Not a book for people who are in toxic relationships
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Nothing
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Not good
I thought I’d get something out of this
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