The arrogance of some Christians would close heaven to them if, to their misfortune, it existed.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) French author, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist
All Said and Done (1972)
Quotations by:
Beauvoir, Simone de
I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth — and truth rewarded me.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) French author, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist
All Said and Done (1974)
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Old age was growing inside me. It kept catching my eye from the depths of the mirror. I was paralyzed sometimes as I saw it make its way for me so steadily when nothing inside me was ready for it.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) French author, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist
Force of Circumstance [La Force de Choses], Part 1 ch. 4 (1963) [tr. Howard (1965)]
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At age 41.
Man is a talking animal and he will always let himself be swayed by the power of the word.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) French author, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist
Les Belles Images (1966)
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It’s frightening to think that you mark your children merely by being yourself.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) French author, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist
Les Belles Images, ch. 3 (1966) [tr. O’Brian (1968)]
It’s frightening to think that you mark your children merely by being yourself.
[C’est effrayant de penser qu’on marque ses enfants rien que par ce qu’on est.]
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) French author, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist
Les Belles Images, ch. 3 (1966) [tr. O’Brian (1968)]
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To lose confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in oneself.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) French author, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist
The Second Sex [Le Deuxième Sexe], Vol. 2, Part 1, ch. 2 (1949) [tr. Borde/Malovany-Chevallier (2009)]
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One of the benefits that oppression confers upon the oppressors is that the most humble among them is made to feel superior; thus, a poor white in the South can console himself with the thought that he is not a “dirty nigger” — and the more prosperous whites cleverly exploit this pride. Similarly, the most mediocre of males feels himself a demigod as compared with women.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) French author, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist
The Second Sex, Introduction (1950) [tr. Parshley (1952)]
See Johnson.
It was easier for me to think of a world without a creator than of a creator loaded with all of the contradictions of the world.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) French author, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist
Quoted in “Toward a Hidden God,” Time (8 Apr 1966)
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