An Art of Living by Andre Maurois, Sergio E. Serrano (Translator)

From the Publisher

A new translation on this inspirational book containing sound advice on the art of living by the late historian, biographer, and philosopher, Andre Maurois. Our lives are works of art, expressions of inner beauty, conceived and created by our inner selves, tested by the circumstances and experiences of life, perfected and modified by the learning and growth resulting from these experiences. Few authors have expressed these timeless principles with more eloquence than André Maurois (1885), one of the most celebrated and prolific French writers of the 20th century.

An Art of Living was first published in France in 1939. It is divided into five sections: The Art of Thinking, The Art of Loving, The Art of Working, The Art of Leadership, and The Art of Growing Old. Each section contains very profound, timeless, wisdom about the most important aspects we face in life. Maurois was an erudite, an acclaimed scholar, a historian, and a deep observer of human nature and psyche. The real value of An Art of Living, is that the sentences are not merely a collection of words to convey a practical thought, but a communication to the spirit of the reader. Maurois speaks to the soul of the reader. The principles he conveys remain as valid and as useful in the 21st century as they were in the 20th.

There is so much insight in this book! Maurois accurately predicts the ultimate failure of all social revolutions; the necessity of slow change in human customs and attitudes as a key to lasting changes; the technological development and implementation of robots in large assembly lines; the characteristics of a reasonable and effective government; the inner virtues to cultivatein order to successfully overcome the adversities of life; the qualities to seek in order to maintain stable, loving, relationships; the attributes to encourage as an effective manager; the essentials by which to plan a long and enjoyable retirement; and the principles behind an effective educational system. The book speaks to young and old alike.


An Art of Living remained out of print for several decades. This new translation intends to resurrect this little treasure of a book for the English readers of today; it remains faithful to the original French edition and to the style of the author.

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents