Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
On Confidence cover art

On Confidence

By: The School of Life, Alain de Botton
Narrated by: Alain de Botton
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

How to Think More Effectively cover art
Anxiety cover art
A Simpler Life cover art
Self-Knowledge cover art
Calm cover art
How to Overcome Your Childhood cover art
On Being Nice cover art
Varieties of Melancholy cover art
The School of Life: On Failure cover art
Small Pleasures cover art
What They Forgot to Teach You at School cover art
How Proust Can Change Your Life cover art
The Good Enough Parent cover art
Essays in Love cover art
Self Love cover art
The Mountain Is You cover art

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

What listeners say about On Confidence

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    109
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    99
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    91
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 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

Short and to the point

Much resonated. Alain voice is soothing. I got some points from it. Will try more of the audio books from school of life

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

A great read

Confidence is a skill that we acquire and develop through practice and not something we are born with.

The points de Botton is making are easily understood and he presents them in every day clear language.

Also, it is easy to listen to and I adore de Botton’s clear and soothing voice.

Strongly recommend

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

Fantastic.

Very helpful book. Great narration. Would highly recommend giving this a read. Always enjoy their work.

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

Already much more confident :)

Alain's voice is like a melody. The western philosophy references make the guides and explanations familiar. I wish it was a bit longer book but I enjoyed it very much

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

I liked it...

This was a refreshing & sometimes jolly way to get advice on your self image. Definitely worth a listen (without getting "Arrogant" about it.. ☘️👍

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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very easy to listen to

A really interesting, amusing and actually very helpful listen. I enjoyed it very, very much!

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

Excellently written and presented

Excellently written and presented. I believe i will replay it and share it with all my heart to loved ones.

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

Another hit

The school of life regularly finds ways to extract deep meaning from aspects of our life where we haven't given a second thought to. The aspects where we feel comfortable and unaware of our shortcomings.

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

A refreshing, holistic, funny and essential perspective on confidence

I personally needed to hear everything that Alain De Botton has written on confidence. He debunks the myths and stories we have been told as a collective and in our individual family systems; he draws on fascinating historical references while making them relevant to the 21st century and he makes you laugh out loud! An essential listen for anyone lacking in confidence.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!