Simone Weil
Simone Weil
Simone Weil; 3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) was a French philosopher, Christian mystic, and political activist...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth3 February 1909
CityParis, France
CountryFrance
heart world longing
At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased by any object in this world.
opposites soul virtue
The simultaneous existence of opposite virtues in the soul like pincers to catch hold of God.
god wall communication
Two prisoners whose cells adjoin communicate with each other by knocking on the wall. The wall is the thing which separates them but is also their means of communication. It is the same with us and God. Every separation is a link.
solitude wish virtue
To wish to escape from solitude is cowardice. Friendship is not to be sought, not to be dreamed, not to be desired; it is to be exercised (it is a virtue).
distance sin wrong-direction
Sin is not a distance, it is a turning of our gaze in the wrong direction.
waiting precious-gifts
We do not obtain the most precious gifts by going in search of them but by waiting for them.
philosophical metaphor universe
The entire universe is nothing but a great metaphor.
inspiration giving people
Those who are unhappy have no need for anything in this world but people capable of giving them their attention.
peace giving doe
Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible does not give rise to revolt but to submission.
live-in-the-moment today saint
Today it is not nearly enough to be a saint, but we must have the saintliness demanded by the present moment, a new saintliness, itself also without precedent.
sacrifice balance looks
Bourgeois society is infected by monomania: the monomania of accounting. For it, the only thing that has value is what can be counted in francs and centimes. It never hesitates to sacrifice human life to figures which look well on paper, such as national budgets or industrial balance sheets.
humility compassion oneself
Compassion directed toward oneself is true humility.
life perfect parables
Every perfect life is a parable invented by God.
doe violence
Time does us violence; it is the only violence.