Those who keep the masses of men in subjection by exercising force and cruelty deprive them at once of two vital foods, liberty and obedience; for it is no longer within the power of such masses to accord their inner consent to the authority to which they are subjected. Those who encourage a state of things in which the hope of gain is the principle motive take away from men their obedience, for consent which is its essence is not something which can be sold. β¨ The Needs of the Soul (1949). The Need for Roots. Book by Simone Weil, p. 97, 1949.
More Author Quotes
- He who does not realize to what extent shifting fortune and necessity hold in subjection every human spirit, cannot regard as fellow-creatures nor love as he loves himself those whom chance separated β¦ βΆ
- True definition of science: the study of the beauty of the world. β¨ Simone Weil (2003). The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind, p.258, Routledge
- Contemplating an object fixedly with the mind, asking myself, 'What is it?' without thinking of any other object or relating it to anything else for hours on end.
- A beautiful woman looking at her image in the mirror may very well believe the image is herself. An ugly woman knows it is not. β¨ Simone Weil (1973). Waiting for God
- Friendship is a miracle by which a person consents to view from a certain distance, without coming any nearer, the very being who is as necessary to him as food. β¨ Simone Weil (2009). Waiting on God β¦ βΆ
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