To conceive God as an all-powerful Person, or else, under the name of Christ, as a human person, is to exclude oneself from the true love of God. For this reason we must love the perfection of the heavenly Father even in the diffusion of sunlight. The divine and absolute model of that renunciation in us – which is obedience – is the creative and ordained principle of the universe, such is the fullness of being.
Simone Weil
God, Love, Perfection, Obedience, Divine Nature, Spiritual Understanding
Simone Weil’s Quotes On Topics
Fear | Social Change | Intellectual Integrity | Affection | Real Struggles | Divine Children | Divinity | Conflict Symbols | Divine Truth | Fashion | National Impact | Human Aspiration | Divine Fulfillment | Spiritual Paradox | Miser | Mindfulness | Personal Power | Moral Aesthetics | Human Forgiveness | Human Influence | More
More Simone Weil Quotes
“A work of art has an author and yet, when it is perfect, it has something which is anonymous about it.” Simone Weil
Art, Authorship, Perfection, Creativity, Artistic Expression, Universal Beauty
Simone Weil Art, Authorship, Perfection, Creativity, Artistic Expression, Universal Beauty“Everything without exception which is of value in me comes from somewhere other than myself, not as a gift but as a loan which must be ceaselessly renewed.” Simone Weil
Value, Loan, Gift, Ceaseless Renewal, External Source, Human Worth
Simone Weil Value, Loan, Gift, Ceaseless Renewal, External Source, Human Worth“The world is the closed door. It is a barrier. And at the same time it is the way through.” Simone Weil
World, Paradox, Obstacles, Opportunity, Spiritual Journey, Philosophical Insight
Simone Weil World, Paradox, Obstacles, Opportunity, Spiritual Journey, Philosophical Insight“It is because the will has no power to bring about salvation that the idea of secular morality is an absurdity. What is called morality only depends on the will in what is, so to speak, its most muscular aspect. Religion on the contrary corresponds to desire, and it is desire that saves. To long for God and to renounce all the rest, that alone can save.” Simone Weil
Salvation, Morality, Religion, Desire, Spiritual Longing, Divine Connection
Simone Weil Salvation, Morality, Religion, Desire, Spiritual Longing, Divine Connection“It is not enough to have perceived such a notion, given it one's attention, understood it; it must be given a permanent place in the mind, so that it may be present even when one's attention is directed toward something else.” Simone Weil
Knowledge, Understanding, Attention, Memory, Learning Process, Cognitive Development
Simone Weil Knowledge, Understanding, Attention, Memory, Learning Process, Cognitive Development“God can never be perfectly present to us here below on account of our flesh. But he can be almost perfectly absent from us in extreme affliction. This is the only possibility of perfection for us on earth. That is why the Cross is our only hope.” Simone Weil
Divine Absence, Affliction Perfection, Cross Reflection, Earthly Challenges, Spiritual Growth, Faithful Hope
Simone Weil Divine Absence, Affliction Perfection, Cross Reflection, Earthly Challenges, Spiritual Growth, Faithful Hope“To die for God is not a proof of faith in God. To die for an unknown and repulsive convict who is a victim of injustice, that is a proof of faith in God.” Simone Weil
Faith, God, Sacrifice, Injustice, Moral Conviction, Spiritual Authenticity
Simone Weil Faith, God, Sacrifice, Injustice, Moral Conviction, Spiritual Authenticity“Affliction hardens and discourages us because, like a red-hot iron, it stamps the soul to its very depths with the scorn, the disgust, and even the self-hatred and sense of guilt that crime logically should produce but actually does not.” Simone Weil
Affliction’s Depths, Soul Stamp, Emotional Pain, Affliction, Crime, Guilt
Simone Weil Affliction’s Depths, Soul Stamp, Emotional Pain, Affliction, Crime, Guilt“Human beings are so made that the ones who do the crushing feel nothing; it is the person crushed who feels what is happening. Unless one has placed oneself on the side of the oppressed, to feel with them, one cannot understand.” Simone Weil
Oppression, Empathy, Human Nature, Social Justice, Understanding, Moral Responsibility
Simone Weil Oppression, Empathy, Human Nature, Social Justice, Understanding, Moral Responsibility“Capitalism has brought about the emancipation of collective humanity with respect to nature. But this collective humanity has itself taken on with respect to the individual the oppressive function formerly exercised by nature.” Simone Weil
Capitalism, Humanity, Nature, Oppression, Collective Society, Individual Freedom
Simone Weil Capitalism, Humanity, Nature, Oppression, Collective Society, Individual Freedom“Life does not need to mutilate itself in order to be pure.” Simone Weil
Life, Purity, Self-acceptance, Moral Philosophy, Authenticity, Spiritual Wisdom
Simone Weil Life, Purity, Self-acceptance, Moral Philosophy, Authenticity, Spiritual Wisdom“Workers need poetry more than bread. They need that their life should be a poem. They need some light from eternity. Religion alone can be the source of such poetry.” Simone Weil
Spirituality, Work, Poetry, Human Needs, Transcendence, Religious Philosophy
Simone Weil Spirituality, Work, Poetry, Human Needs, Transcendence, Religious Philosophy“To love purely is to consent to distance, it is to adore the distance between ourselves and that which we love.” Simone Weil
Love, Distance, Purity, Adoration, Emotional Connection, Self-restraint
Simone Weil Love, Distance, Purity, Adoration, Emotional Connection, Self-restraint“All mediocrity flies from the light.” Simone Weil
Mediocrity, Light, Truth, Personal Growth, Spiritual Illumination, Moral Courage
Simone Weil Mediocrity, Light, Truth, Personal Growth, Spiritual Illumination, Moral Courage“Creative attention means really giving our attention to what does not exist.” Simone Weil
Creativity, Attention, Imagination, Innovation, Artistic Process, Cognitive Ability
Simone Weil Creativity, Attention, Imagination, Innovation, Artistic Process, Cognitive Ability“One of the most exquisite pleasures of human love – to serve the loved one without his knowing it – is only possible, as regards the love of God, through atheism.” Simone Weil
Love, Service, Atheism, Exquisite Pleasure, Divine Relationship, Hidden Sacrifice
Simone Weil Love, Service, Atheism, Exquisite Pleasure, Divine Relationship, Hidden Sacrifice“Money, mechanization, algebra. The three monsters of contemporary civilization.” Simone Weil
Civilization, Modernity, Critique, Societal Values, Technological Impact, Human Condition
Simone Weil Civilization, Modernity, Critique, Societal Values, Technological Impact, Human Condition“If you want to know what a man is really like, take notice of how he acts when he loses money.” Simone Weil
Character, Money, Human Nature, Adversity, Moral Test, Psychological Insight
Simone Weil Character, Money, Human Nature, Adversity, Moral Test, Psychological Insight“God alone is capable of loving God. We can only consent to give up our own feelings so as to allow free passage in our soul for this love. That is the meaning of denying oneself. We are created for this consent, and for this alone.” Simone Weil
Divine Love, Self Denial, Spiritual Reflection, Human Purpose, Life Philosophy, Inner Submission
Simone Weil Divine Love, Self Denial, Spiritual Reflection, Human Purpose, Life Philosophy, Inner Submission“Every new development for the last three centuries has brought men closer to a state of affairs in which absolutely nothing would be recognized in the whole world as possessing a claim to obedience except the authority of the State. The majority of people in Europe obey nothing else.” Simone Weil
State Power, Obedience, Historical Development, Political Philosophy, Social Critique, Individual Autonomy
Simone Weil State Power, Obedience, Historical Development, Political Philosophy, Social Critique, Individual Autonomy