Regardless of the staggering dimensions of the world about us, the density of our ignorance, the risks of catastrophes to come, and our individual weakness within the immense collectivity, the fact remains that we are absolutely free today if we choose to will our existence in its finiteness, a finiteness which is open on the infinite. And in fact, any man who has known real loves, real revolts, real desires, and real will knows quite well that he has no need of any outside guarantee to be sure of his goals; their certitude comes from his own drive.
Simone de BeauvoirDefending 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 BeauvoirA man would never get the notion of writing a book on the peculiar situation of the human male.
Simone de BeauvoirThe emancipation of women must be the work of women themselves, independent of the class struggle.
Simone de BeauvoirI believe that we must use language. If it is used in a feminist perspective, with a feminist sensibility, language will find itself changed in a feminist manner. It will nonetheless be the language. You can't not use this universal instrument; you can't create an artificial language, in my opinion. But naturally, each writer must use it in his/her own way.
Simone de BeauvoirI was very fond of Lagneauโs phrase: โI have no comfort but in my absolute despair.
Simone de BeauvoirTo be feminist doesn't mean simply to do nothing, to reduce yourself to total impotence under the pretext of refusing masculine values. There is a problematic, a very difficult dialectic between accepting power and refusing it, accepting certain masculine values, and wanting to transform them. I think it's worth a try.
Simone de Beauvoir