'Not just what, but how'

 

“My greatest joy comes from creativity: from feeling that I have been able to identify a certain aspect of human nature and crystallize a phenomenon in words.” – Alain de Botton

 

Swiss-born (on this date in 1969) British-based author de Botton authored the massive best-seller Essays in Love, which in turn led to the hit movie My Last Five Girlfriends, based on Essays.

 

De Botton’s books, which usually emphasize philosophy's relevance to everyday life, have almost all been best sellers, but none to equal the romantic comedy Essays, which has sold well over 2 million copies.

 

Positive reviews of his books attest that he has made literature, philosophy and art more accessible to a wider audience, as has his popularity as a guest lecturer and television documentarian, usually based on his own works.                                                 

 

“I passionately believe that's it's not just what you say that counts, it's also how you say it - that the success of your argument critically depends on your manner of presenting it . . .  the communication of ideas.”