Simone De Beauvoir Quotes
1906 - 1986
Read Simone De Beauvoir biography
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There is a good case for showing that airplanes, Debray machines, thetelephoneand theradio donot
make men of today happier than those of former
times.
1948 Ethics of Ambiguity. 
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More Simone De Beauvoir Quotes
On ne na|"t pas femme: on le devient. One is not born a woman: one becomes a woman.
Simone De Beauvoir— 1949 Le Deuxie' m e Sexe (The Second Sex), bk.2, pt.1, ch.1.
Ce n'est gue' re que dans les asiles que les coquettes gardent avec ente" tement une foi entie' re en des regards absents; normalement, elles re clament des te moins. Women fond of dress are hardly ever entirely satisfied not to be seen, except among the insane; usually they want witnesses.
Simone De Beauvoir— 1949 Le Deuxie' m e Sexe (The Second Sex), bk.2, pt.5, ch.18 (translated by H M Parshley,1952).
La femme?sait que quand on la regarde on ne la distingue pas de son apparence: elle est juge e, respecte e, de sire e a' travers sa toilette. Woman?knows that when she is looked at she is not considered apart from her appearance: she is judged, respected, desired, by and through her toilette.
Simone De Beauvoir— 1949 Le Deuxie' m e Sexe (The Second Sex), bk.2, pt.7, ch.25 (translated by H M Parshley,1952).
Si l'on vit assez longtemps, on voit que toute victoire se change un jour en de faite. If you live long enough, you'll find that every victory turns into a defeat.
Simone De Beauvoir— 1955 Tous les hommes sont mortels (All Men Are Mortal).
What is an adult? A child blown up by age.
Simone De Beauvoir— A Woman Destroyed [Une femme rompue] (1967)
I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth and truth rewarded me.
Simone De Beauvoir— All Said and Done (1972), p. 16 ISBN 1569249814
One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship , indignation and compassion .
Simone De Beauvoir— As quoted in Successful Aging : A Conference Report (1974) by Eric Pfeiffer, p. 142
In itself, homosexuality is as limiting as heterosexuality: the ideal should be to be capable of loving a woman or a man; either, a human being, without feeling fear, restraint, or obligation.
Simone De Beauvoir— As quoted in Bisexual Characters in Film: From Anaïs to Zee (1997) by Wayne M. Bryant, p. 143
We were two of a kind, and our relationship would endure as long as we did: but it could not make up entirely for the fleeting riches to be had from encounters with different people.
Simone De Beauvoir— On her relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre, as quoted in "Did Simone de Beauvoir's open 'marriage' make her happy?" by Lisa Appignanesi, in The Guardian (9 June 2005)
Defending the truth is not something one does out of a sense of duty or to allay guilt complexes, but is a reward in itself.
Simone De Beauvoir— As quoted in The Book of Positive Quotations (2007) by John Cook, Steve Deger and Leslie Ann Gibson, p. 525
I'm never afraid. But in my case it's nothing to be proud of.
Simone De Beauvoir— Raimon to Regina. p. 23
He walks in the street, a picture of modesty in his felt hat and his gabardine suit, and all the while he's thinking, "I'm immortal." The world is his, time is his, and I'm nothing but an insect.
Simone De Beauvoir— Regina to herself, p. 28
One day I'll be old, dead, forgotten. And at this very moment, while I'm sitting here thinking these things, a man in a dingy hotel room is thinking, "I will always be here."
Simone De Beauvoir— Regina to herself, p. 28
He had not applauded, he had remained seated, but he had looked at her steadily. From the depths of eternity he had looked at her and Rosalind became immortal. If I could believe him, she thought, if only I could believe him!
Simone De Beauvoir— P. 30 (All Men are Mortal (1946))
Dare to believe me. Dare!
Simone De Beauvoir— Raimon to Regina. p. 31
They were walking side by side, but each was alone.
Simone De Beauvoir— Raimon to Regina, p. 53
It was as though some stubborn god spent their time in an immutable and absurd balancing act between life and death, prosperity and poverty.
Simone De Beauvoir— p. 81 (All Men are Mortal (1946))
There is only one good. And that is to act according to the dictates of one's conscience.
Simone De Beauvoir— p. 181 (All Men are Mortal (1946))
What has value in their eyes is never what is done for them; it's what they do for themselves.
Simone De Beauvoir— p. 315 (All Men are Mortal (1946))
It is impossible to do anything for anyone.
Simone De Beauvoir— p. 317 (All Men are Mortal (1946))
[C]'est la vraie générosité:;; vous donnez tout et rien ne semble jamais vous coûter.
Simone De Beauvoir— That's what I consider true generosity. You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.
Try to stay a man amongst men ... There's no other hope for you.
Simone De Beauvoir— Marianne to Raimon
The present enshrines the past and in the past all history has been made by men.
Simone De Beauvoir— Introduction : Woman as Other
It is doubtless impossible to approach any human problems with a mind free from bias.
Simone De Beauvoir— Introduction : Woman as Other
One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.
Simone De Beauvoir— Bk. I, Pt. 2, Ch. 8: Since the French Revolution: the Job and the Vote, p. 133
On ne naît pas femme: on le devient.
Simone De Beauvoir— One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.Bk. 2, Pt.. 4, Ch. 1: Childhood, p. 267
Sex pleasure in woman, as I have said, is a kind of magic spell; it demands complete abandon; if words or movements oppose the magic of caresses, the spell is broken.
Simone De Beauvoir— Bk. 2, Pt.. 4, Ch. 3: Sexual Initiation. p. 396
To "catch" a husband is an art; to "hold" him is a job.
Simone De Beauvoir— Bk. 2, part 5, Ch. 1: The Married Woman, p. 468
