It’s perhaps easier now than ever before to make a good living; it’s perhaps harder than ever before to stay calm, to be free of career anxiety.

Source: "A Kinder, Gentler Philosophy of Success." TEDGlobal 2009. Jul 2009. Conference Presentation. Additional Information: This quote by philosopher Alain de Botton means that while it is easy to make money if you are motivated, people have a high level of anxiety about their careers. In the TED Talk this quote was taken from de Botton argues that the reason why people have such high levels of career anxiety is multi-fold: people are snobbish and judgmental about each other's jobs; we constantly compare ourselves with our peers; we believe we live in a meritocracy where our career failures are no one's fault but our own; we are a self-obsessed culture; and our ideas of success are not realistic. Watch the full TED Talk here: Alain de Botton - A Kinder, Gentler Philosophy of Success