Valérie Maigret Berger

Parisienne, écrivaine, passionnée par les ouvrages académiques, œuvrant pour la paix par la diplomatie.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Philosophy can broaden our horizons and make us wiser, but only if we also think independently and possess both the ability and the means for personal reflection. I read philosophers and books in small and large spoonfuls, yet I always bear in mind that I must first interpret what is being said before assuming that it has value or rests upon a truthful foundation. This is often how I read Simone de Beauvoir, without communist spectacles, but occasionally with an economic sensibility.

That does not mean I doubt every idea she formulated, but I do question their clarity, the extent to which they belong to another era, and whether they withstand independent analysis. I approach Marcus Aurelius in much the same way, the renowned and timeless Stoic philosopher. Although I believe the Stoics can sometimes overlook the unique intelligence of our emotions, he nevertheless helps to place important pieces of rationality where they belong.

The world moves forward slowly, though sadly not without setbacks. Excessive dystopian thinking, served in large spoonfuls, can also intensify the very problems it seeks to describe. Even so, it is worth reflecting upon and engaging with what is meaningful and what leads to action. At the same time, unwavering clarity is essential if we are to understand the forces shaping our age.

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations arrived in my letterbox, so I shall immerse myself in a chapter before ballet. Both require time, slowness and discipline. Aurelius emphasises how changeable human nature is. With Stoic clarity, he wrote down his reflections to make himself more aware of his own projections, actions and state of mind. Above all, he reminds us of the importance of our own autonomy. The same inner discipline can also shape the way we encounter other people.

Just as we ought to approach and care for untouched nature, we should also meet one another with pure intentions and love as an antidote to cynicism. Treating people with dignity and respect for their individuality is part of that same outlook. It is not about perfecting oneself, but about adapting to life with greater tolerance and a broader perspective. People spend far too much time reflecting themselves in one another; when everything becomes comparison, it can gradually become poisonous. Therefore, follow your wise mind, your free and perhaps slightly unconventional choices, with care and with your gaze directed outwards.

When we are inclined towards change rather than fixation, beautiful things can happen. At the same time, we live in an age in which people seem increasingly inclined to pathologise themselves and one another through wounds, bitterness and hatred. We can counter this by making greater room for what lies at the heart of Aurelius' spirit: reflection, self-discipline and responsibility. Algorithms blind us to our own path while constantly directing our attention towards the lives of others. This enduring and timeless book reminds us to moderate our reactions, both the small and the great, and to meet our human vulnerability with greater clarity.

As we also live in an age in which we are constantly fixing and optimising ourselves, it becomes all the more important to preserve the clarity of water within our own minds.

I particularly like this passage:

From Sextus, a benevolent disposition, and the example of a family governed in a fatherly manner, and the idea of living comfortably to nature; and gravity without affection, and to look carefully after the interest of friends, and to tolerate ignorant persons, and those who form opinions without consideration: he had the power of readily accommodating himself to all, so that intercourse with him was more agreeable than any flattery: and at the same time he was most highly venerated by those who associated with him: and he had the faculty both of discovering and ordering, in an intelligent and methodical way, the principles necessary for life; and he never showed anger or any passion, but was entirely free from passion, and also most affectionate; and he could express approbation without noisy display, and he possessed much knowledge without ostentation.

I do not necessarily share his view of passion, but moderation is, at times, a victory in itself.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Fière de notre Président. Il se soucie sincèrement des Français. 🇫🇷

[BFM @BFMTV]

Mondial-2026: "T'as les deux étoiles, j'espère qu'on en a une troisième à la fin de l'été !" glisse Emmanuel Macron à un enfant portant le maillot des Bleus #BFM2

[Emmanuel Macron @EmmanuelMacron]

Pensées émues pour les victimes des terribles incendies qui frappent l’Espagne et pour leurs familles. J’exprime la solidarité de la France qui lutte aussi contre les flammes. Hommage à tous les pompiers mobilisés.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Ses i retten! 👩🏻‍⚖️

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Muah! #stalkers

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Sjalusi får dømmekraften til å visne. Derfor gleder jeg meg til langtidsløpet.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Du vet at livet har blitt absurd når en person som er besatt av deg ender opp på den franske ambassaden i Oslo for å spise billige makroner. Bon appétit. Jeg har et slott.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Ingen land er plettfritt, heller ikke Norge. Til tross for befolkningsveksten er Norge fortsatt et lite land – og et vakkert et. Likevel opplever jeg at enkelte ledere i for liten grad blir holdt ansvarlige når alvorlige forhold kommer for dagen. Jeg kommer til å konkretisere hva jeg mener på et senere tidspunkt.

Min erfaring er at varslingskulturen i Frankrike på flere områder er mer sivilisert. Der blir ikke mennesker automatisk møtt med mistenksomhet eller misunnelse fordi de kommer fra privilegerte miljøer, og når ledere blir gjort oppmerksomme på alvorlige forhold, forventes det i større grad at de handler. Frankrike har naturligvis også hatt hendelser som har satt dype spor i landet, men prinsippet om ansvar er viktig.

I Norge har jeg inntrykk av at det noen ganger blir vist for liten vilje til å gripe inn eller varsle når alvorlige forhold blir kjent. Ofte tenker jeg at det er best å holde ting for meg selv og håpe at mennesker skjerper seg. Men det er ikke alltid nok.

For meg handler dette om å sette en tydelig grense. Derfor er min utfordring til statsminister @jonasgahrstore å ta et tydeligere ansvar når alvorlige saker krever lederskap.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

My mother is not a teacher, but she has the kind of relationship with people that good teachers often have. She has a gift for clarifying, bringing order to complexity, and trying to understand why people behave as they do. It is contagious. I have experienced cruelty. Those experiences have taught me that there are many distinctions and many shades of human behaviour. My intention is not to defend people who do wrong, but to wish the best for them while inviting them to reflect on their actions. I do not believe we should write people off before they have truly been tested. You cannot demand an apology, but you can hope that, over time, someone becomes willing to take responsibility for their actions and make amends. One of the challenges of our time is that many people seem to struggle with self-awareness, empathy, and a sense of responsibility for the well-being of others. As for bullying, which I have written about before, I do not believe it should ever be dismissed. Some people fail to grasp just how destructive it can be. In Norway, there have been cases where people have taken their own lives because of bullying. That is why we need responsible people who actively challenge it by setting clear boundaries, holding others accountable, and standing up against it- whether they are a Prime Minister, @jonasgahrstore, a headteacher, a police officer, or simply a fellow human being. If you witness bullying, do something. Challenge the bully calmly and wisely if it is safe to do so, or alert someone who is in a position to help.

Empathy and commitment, my friends, are genuine.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Ta-da!

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

To clarify: I may spend two hours practising ballet, and some might see that as excessive. But it is not an act of self-denial; it is part of my relationship with movement, my body, and my daily life. It belongs to my way of being.
It is very different from a pursuit of weight loss that demands the sacrifice of shared meals, intimacy, conviviality, and the small pleasures through which life is woven.

Identity and life are not the same thing

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Corps vécu

I read today that the wellness culture is growing in Paris. Oui, it’s true. Why not? Quit smoking, live more, be more sporty and interact with others. Others.
Wellness culture can be a little tricky when it takes control over the space of interaction with others, and most importantly, the pleasure of having dinner with family, adapting to the atmosphere and rhythm of a family, or being woven together in a shared life.

Movement in harmony with the rhythm of life. Exercise is not always pleasure, but it gives us clarity and strength to move freely through everyday life. That is why we should always find time for movement.
I love ballet, swimming, tennis, road cycling and all forms of movement that remind us that the body is not merely an object to be shaped, but a way of being alive.

However, I am slightly concerned that the spirit of our time transforms every new trend into a part of identity rather than a part of daily life. An important distinction is between a body that is adaptable and alive, and a body that has become mechanised by constantly turning the gaze back upon itself.
And when we speak about the body, we must not forget genetic science, which shows how fat is distributed in different ways. Some people have narrower waists and need to remain slim to maintain their balance and proportions; others have forms that should be celebrated in a more sculptural, Bellucci-like way.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Point 1 is very interesting.
https://t.co/XFuDC33u7h

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

I love humour, and especially the magic of algorithms and how they divide themselves as though they were entities. All the threads they lead to, and how they influence the flock. Humour, as I said. Like a kind of organism.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

At some point, every princess becomes an intellectual. I do love sometimes the way algorithms work.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Adieu, petty marionettes.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

I have always despised evil. Always.
As a child, I had a terrifying dream about a grotesque green woman. The image has stayed with me ever since, clinging to the membrane of my memory.

What I particularly despise are bullies and so-called mean girls. There is a special irony in it, because life sometimes moves backwards as well as forwards. I call it a kind of karmaturgic theory.

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

Ta-da!

[Tour de France™ @LeTour]

🤣 Ma France 🇫🇷

#TDF2026

[Valérie Maigret Berger @valeriemberger]

France, ma belle patrie ! 🇫🇷
https://t.co/YABNtmKeIH