Quote of the Day (Alain de Botton, on ‘The Emotionally Intelligent Person’)

“The emotionally intelligent person knows that love is a skill, not a feeling, and will require trust, vulnerability, generosity, humour, sexual understanding and selective resignation. The emotionally intelligent person awards themselves the time to determine what gives their working lives meaning and has the confidence and tenacity to try to find an accommodation between their inner priorities and the demands of the world. The emotionally intelligent person knows how to hope and be grateful, while remaining steadfast before the essentially tragic structure of existence. The emotionally intelligent person knows that they will only ever be mentally healthy in a few areas and at certain moments, but is committed to fathoming their inadequacies and warning others of them in good time, with apology and charm.” —Swiss-born British author and philosopher Alain de Botton, introduction to The School of Life: An Emotional Education (2019)

Quote of the Day (Janan Ganesh, on the Limits of Emotional Intelligence)

“People of genius-level EQ include con artists, pick-up artists, stand-up comedians, spies, abusive partners and, from double-glazing showrooms to the plushest investment bank trading floor, sales staff. Emotional intelligence is what tells you, in a work meeting, that a colleague who keeps touching their face and sipping water is nervous about speaking. Whether you then use that information to soothe them, or to ask them a tough question in front of the others, well, that is a test of your conscience—not your emotional intelligence.”— British journalist, author and political commentator Janan Ganesh, “The Truth About Emotional Intelligence,” The Financial Times, Aug. 26-27, 2023