I've read about this repeatedly and yet when we had our new French neighbors over for dinner, they brought up work within 10 minutes. I was so annoyed. I was so careful about not going there and they did it. I wonder if they've read the opposite and were just trying to cater to
Or maybe just a different kind of French person — the kind who moves to the U.S. 😉 My French friends who’ve relocated are some of the most work-obsessed people I know!
Hi Pamela! I do agree that most French people are not as into the general idea of your life's purpose, especially professionally. But French workplaces can still be very high pressure, with a lot of indirect messaging. What do you think?
Yes, absolutely, the pressure is real, but it’s different in my opinion. It’s less about self-reinvention and more about fitting within a system, very « politique ». And that indirectness you mention is spot on; it’s all about nuance and reading between the lines, which is exhausting in its own right.
True, I agree it's not about self-invention nor about this notion of "ownership" of your job, a term I learned from my daughter who works in NYC and that seems totally untranslatable to me. You are right: one has to figure out how a company's "system" works, and your colleagues won't necessarily tell you up front, although some things come out with time.
Agreed, that word ownership feels so American, doesn’t it? There’s this expectation to inhabit your work fully, almost like a personal brand. In France, it’s more about adapting to the collective rhythm, understanding where you fit within the hierarchy. It can feel restrictive, but also oddly freeing, you’re not expected to reinvent the wheel every day. I find the contrast between those two systems fascinating (and at times, exhausting in both directions!).
Thank you, Kerstin! Yes, “but” could work, though it leans more toward “goal” than “purpose.” The French don’t seem to use an equivalent in quite the same existential way we do in English. Maybe that’s why the idea itself feels less central here, it’s more about how one lives than why. I love your peu à peu, that’s really the essence of it.
That’s such an interesting point, Kerstin, yes, I’ve read that connection too. The idea of purpose as moral duty does seem to trace back to Protestant thought, especially through work and vocation. Maybe that’s why in France, where Catholicism shaped the culture differently, there’s more acceptance of ambiguity — of simply being rather than becoming.
If there were a ranking of countries or regions in which people orient their lives towards a higher purpose, in my opinion the Netherlands would be in first place.
That makes perfect sense, Kerstin — the Netherlands really does embody that blend of practicality and higher purpose, shaped by both Protestant ethics and a strong social conscience. It’s fascinating how cultural history continues to influence even modern ideas of fulfillment and responsibility.
I've read about this repeatedly and yet when we had our new French neighbors over for dinner, they brought up work within 10 minutes. I was so annoyed. I was so careful about not going there and they did it. I wonder if they've read the opposite and were just trying to cater to
Us haha. ( and to clarify we are in the us )
Or maybe just a different kind of French person — the kind who moves to the U.S. 😉 My French friends who’ve relocated are some of the most work-obsessed people I know!
What an interesting discussion about "Purpose":) Thank you all
Judy
Thank you, Judy. I’ve loved seeing how this conversation unfolded too. It’s one of those topics that really brings out the nuances between cultures.
Hi Pamela! I do agree that most French people are not as into the general idea of your life's purpose, especially professionally. But French workplaces can still be very high pressure, with a lot of indirect messaging. What do you think?
Hi Betty!
Thank you for your comment.
Yes, absolutely, the pressure is real, but it’s different in my opinion. It’s less about self-reinvention and more about fitting within a system, very « politique ». And that indirectness you mention is spot on; it’s all about nuance and reading between the lines, which is exhausting in its own right.
True, I agree it's not about self-invention nor about this notion of "ownership" of your job, a term I learned from my daughter who works in NYC and that seems totally untranslatable to me. You are right: one has to figure out how a company's "system" works, and your colleagues won't necessarily tell you up front, although some things come out with time.
Agreed, that word ownership feels so American, doesn’t it? There’s this expectation to inhabit your work fully, almost like a personal brand. In France, it’s more about adapting to the collective rhythm, understanding where you fit within the hierarchy. It can feel restrictive, but also oddly freeing, you’re not expected to reinvent the wheel every day. I find the contrast between those two systems fascinating (and at times, exhausting in both directions!).
Living in France for 5 years now, I'm still struggling to understand the non-purpose-life-style.
Maybe I'm slowing down step by step - peu à peu.
What about "but" to translate purpose?
Thank you, Kerstin! Yes, “but” could work, though it leans more toward “goal” than “purpose.” The French don’t seem to use an equivalent in quite the same existential way we do in English. Maybe that’s why the idea itself feels less central here, it’s more about how one lives than why. I love your peu à peu, that’s really the essence of it.
My observation: Purpose and efficiency are found primarily in people with a Protestant upbringing.
That’s such an interesting point, Kerstin, yes, I’ve read that connection too. The idea of purpose as moral duty does seem to trace back to Protestant thought, especially through work and vocation. Maybe that’s why in France, where Catholicism shaped the culture differently, there’s more acceptance of ambiguity — of simply being rather than becoming.
If there were a ranking of countries or regions in which people orient their lives towards a higher purpose, in my opinion the Netherlands would be in first place.
That makes perfect sense, Kerstin — the Netherlands really does embody that blend of practicality and higher purpose, shaped by both Protestant ethics and a strong social conscience. It’s fascinating how cultural history continues to influence even modern ideas of fulfillment and responsibility.