Henri-Frédéric Amiel

Swiss French-speaking writer and philosopher of the 19th century

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About

Henri-Frédéric Amiel, born in Geneva in 1821, was a Swiss writer and philosopher. Orphaned at 13, he studied philosophy in Berlin, influenced by Schelling and Hegel. Professor of aesthetics and then moral philosophy at the Academy of Geneva, he published poetry collections and critical essays. His posthumous fame rests on his Journal intime, kept from 1839 to 1881, comprising nearly 17,000 pages. Partially published from 1883, it had a European impact and influenced thought on introspection. Amiel died in Geneva in 1881.

* 1821-09-27 — † 1881-05-11

Major works

Grains de mil (1854)poetry
Il penseroso (1858)poetry
La Part du rêve (1863)poetry
Journal intimediary
Fragments d'un journal intime (1883)diary

Key milestones

1849Appointed professor of aesthetics and French literature at the Academy of Geneva.
1854Becomes professor of moral philosophy, a chair he held until his death.
1883Posthumous publication of Fragments d'un journal intime, which had a European impact.

Themes

introspectionsolitudemelancholyphilosophy of existenceidentity

Sources: britannica.com · hls-dhs-dss.ch · larousse.fr

“The man who has no inner life is the slave of his surroundings.”

— Henri-Frédéric AmielTheme · Philosophy

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“To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living.”

— Henri-Frédéric AmielTheme · Wisdom

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“Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh, be swift to love, make haste to be kind.”

— Henri-Frédéric AmielTheme · Life

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“Great men are true men, the men in whom nature has succeeded. They are not extraordinary - they are in the true order. It is the other species of men who are not what they ought to be.”

— Henri Frederic AmielTheme · Philosophy

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“He who asks of life nothing but the improvement of his own nature is less liable than anyone else to miss and waste life.”

— Henri Frederic AmielTheme · Personal Development

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