Joseph Joubert (7 May 1754 in Montignac, Perigord 4 May 1824 in Paris) was a French moralist and essayist, remembered today largely for his Pensees (Thoughts), which was published posthumously. From the age of fourteen Joubert attended a religious college in Toulouse, where he later taught until 1776. In 1778 he went to Paris where he met D'Alembert and Diderot, amongst others, and later became friends with a young writer and diplomat, Chateaubriand. He alternated between living in Paris with his friends and life in the privacy of the countryside in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. He was appointed inspector-general of universities under Napoleon.