The Art of Travel
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Themes
All Themes The Familiar and the Foreign Expectations vs. Reality Art, Travel, and the Search for Happiness The Receptive Self
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Alain de Botton M. Duc des Esseintes Charles Baudelaire  Edward Hopper Gustave Flaubert Alexander von Humboldt William Wordsworth Edmund Burke God Job Vincent van Gogh John Ruskin Xavier de Maistre Friedrich Nietzsche Blaise Pascal
Terms
All Terms Traveling Places The Orient The Exotic Spots of Time The Sublime Word-Painting Aesthetic Traveling Mind-Set
Symbols
All Symbols Clouds
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The Art of Travel

by

Alain De Botton
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Alexander von Humboldt Character Analysis

A German polymath (an expert in many subjects) who traveled in South America from 1799 until 1804 and wrote thirty volumes about the broad range of scientific discoveries he made there. From an early age, Humboldt was captivated by massive questions about the human and natural worlds—for instance, he was curious about why different things grew in different places, and he spent much of the rest of his life paying close attention to where certain species could be found. For de Botton, the curiosity about the unknown that drove Humboldt’s trip to South America is largely unavailable to contemporary travelers, who generally travel to destinations where there is nothing more to be discovered. But Humboldt’s tireless efforts to improve science demonstrate both travelers’ timeless fascination with nature and how the things they become curious about during travel often reflect their underlying commitments, character, and sense of personal purpose.

Alexander von Humboldt Quotes in The Art of Travel

The The Art of Travel quotes below are all either spoken by Alexander von Humboldt or refer to Alexander von Humboldt. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Familiar and the Foreign Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

The guidebook might have added, “and where there must be something wrong with the traveller who cannot agree.”

111

Related Characters: Alain de Botton (speaker), Alexander von Humboldt, Friedrich Nietzsche
Expectations vs. Reality Theme Icon
Art, Travel, and the Search for Happiness Theme Icon
The Receptive Self Theme Icon
Page Number: 111
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

In an autobiographical note written in 1801 in South America, Alexander von Humboldt specified his motive for traveling: “I was spurred on by an uncertain longing to be transported from a boring daily life to a marvellous world.” It was this very dichotomy, “boring daily life” pitted against “marvellous world,” that de Maistre had tried to redraw with greater subtlety.

1111

Related Characters: Alain de Botton (speaker), Alexander von Humboldt, Xavier de Maistre
Page Number: 248
Explanation and Analysis:
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Alexander von Humboldt Quotes in The Art of Travel

The The Art of Travel quotes below are all either spoken by Alexander von Humboldt or refer to Alexander von Humboldt. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Familiar and the Foreign Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

The guidebook might have added, “and where there must be something wrong with the traveller who cannot agree.”

111

Related Characters: Alain de Botton (speaker), Alexander von Humboldt, Friedrich Nietzsche
Expectations vs. Reality Theme Icon
Art, Travel, and the Search for Happiness Theme Icon
The Receptive Self Theme Icon
Page Number: 111
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

In an autobiographical note written in 1801 in South America, Alexander von Humboldt specified his motive for traveling: “I was spurred on by an uncertain longing to be transported from a boring daily life to a marvellous world.” It was this very dichotomy, “boring daily life” pitted against “marvellous world,” that de Maistre had tried to redraw with greater subtlety.

1111

Related Characters: Alain de Botton (speaker), Alexander von Humboldt, Xavier de Maistre
Page Number: 248
Explanation and Analysis:
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