Quotes from Simone Weil

He who believes in God is in danger of a still greater illusion—that of attributing to grace what is simply an essentially mechanical effect of nature.

Every human being has at his roots here below a certain terrestrial poetry, a reflection of the heavenly glory, the link, of which he is more or less vaguely conscious, with his universal country. Affliction is the tearing up of these roots.

Once we have understood we are nothing, the object of all our efforts is to become nothing. It is for this that we suffer with resignation, it is for this that we act, it is for this that we pray.

Plato also knew clearly, and indicated by allusions in his works, the dogmas of the Trinity, mediation, the incarnation, the Passion and the notions of grace and salvation through love. He knew the essential truth. Namely, that God is good. He is only all-powerful in addition.

It is good to reflect about whatever forces us to come out of ourselves. I have difficulty in imagining how it can be that you really have some friendship for me; but as you apparently have, it may be for this purpose.

Every dream of friendship deserves to be shattered. It is not by chance that you have never been loved…. To wish to escape from solitude is cowardice.

L'esclave est celui à qui il n'est proposé aucun bien comme but de ses fatigues, sinon la simple existence. Il doit alors ou être détaché ou tombé au niveau végétatif

There is only waiting, attention, silence, immobility, constant through suffering and joy... We cannot take a single step towards heaven. It is not in our power to travel in a vertical direction. If however we look heavenwards for a long time, God comes and takes us up. He raises us easily. As Aeschylus says: There is no effort in what is divine. There is an easiness in salvation which is more difficult for us than all of our efforts.

The death agony is the supreme dark night which is necessary even for the perfect if they are to attain to absolute purity, and for that reason it is better that it should be bitter.

The fullness of love for neighbor is simply the capacity to ask the question, 'What is your agony?' It is to know (recognize) that the afflicted exist, not as a unit in a collection, nor as an example of a social category labeled 'the afflicted,' but in all their humanity, exactly like us, who have been stamped and marked by an inimitable mark, by their affliction.

What we love is perfect joy itself. When we know this, even hope becomes superfluous, it no longer has any meaning. The only thing left to hope for is the grace not to be disobedient here below. The rest is the affair of God alone and does not concern us.

For it seemed certain, and I believe it still today, that we can never wrestle God too much if we do so out of pure concern for the truth. Christ loves that we prefer the truth to him, because before being the Christ, he is the Truth. If someone takes a detour from him to go towards the truth, they will not go a long way without falling into his arms.

It is better to accept the limit, to contemplate it and savour all its bitterness.

The fall of the petals from fruit trees in blossom. To know that what is most precious is not rooted in existence—that is beautiful. Why? It projects the soul beyond time.

we are not aware of what is most essentially bad in us.

Avec la grande presse et la T.S.F., on peut faire avaler par tout un peuple, en même temps que le petit déjeuner ou le repas du soir, des opinions toutes faites et par là même absurdes, car même des vues raisonnables se déforment et deviennent fausses dans l'esprit qui les reçoit sans réflexion ; mais on ne peut avec ces choses susciter même un éclair de pensée.

The vulnerability of precious things is beautiful because vulnerability is a mark of existence. The fall of Troy. The fall of the petals from a fruit tree in blossom. To know that what is most precious is not rooted in existence— that is beautiful. Why? It projects the soul beyond time.

May I disappear in order that those things that I see may become perfect in their beauty from the very fact that they are no longer things I see.

we can say the beauty of the world is nearly absent in the Christian tradition. This is a terrible omission. How can Christianity claim the right to call itself catholic if the universe itself is absent within it?

Karn?m?z doymad?kça ekmeÄŸe inan?yor olmam?z beyhude ve faydas?z.

We must not judge. We must be like the Father in heaven who does not judge: by him beings judge themselves.

When a country has political parties, sooner or later it becomes impossible to intervene effectively in public affairs without joining a party and playing the game.

God can only be present in creation under the form of absence.

Piety in regard to the dead: to do everything for what does not exist.