Force is as pitiless to the man who possesses it, or thinks he does, as it is to its victims; the second it crushes, the first it intoxicates. The truth is, nobody really possesses it.

Simone Weil

More information about this quote

Topic

Nature of power

Author

Simone Weil

Language

French

Time

1940 1940s 20th century

Occupation

Activist Philosopher Writer

From

France Europe

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Weil, Simone. "L'iliade ou le poeme de la force [The Iliad, or The Poem of Force]." Les Cahiers du Sud, 1940.

Current Citation

Weil, Simone. "The Iliad, or The Poem of Force." Simone Weil: An Anthology, translated by Sian Miles. Grove Press, 2000.

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A quote by Simone Weil about nature of power: “Force is as pitiless to the man who possesses it, or thinks he does…”
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A quote by Simone Weil about nature of power: “Force is as pitiless to the man who possesses it, or thinks he does…”
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A quote by Simone Weil about nature of power: “Force is as pitiless to the man who possesses it, or thinks he does…”
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Related Quotes

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Another quote from the 1940s

I have been in Sorrow's kitchen and licked out all the pots. Then I have stood on the peaky mountain wrapped in rainbows, with a harp and a sword in my hands.

Zora Neale Hurston

Dust Tracks on a Road

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More information about this quote
Topic
Experiencing things

Author

Zora Neale Hurston
Source
Dust Tracks on a Road
Genre
Autobiography and memoir
Language
English
Time
1942 1940s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Hurston, Zora Neale. Dust Tracks on a Road. J. B. Lippincott Company, 1942, ch. 16.

Another quote from 1940

The time to make up your mind about people is never.

The Philadelphia Story

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More information about this quote
Topic
Second chances Judging others
Speaker
Tracy Lord
Actor
Katharine Hepburn
Source
The Philadelphia Story
Medium
Film
Genre
Romantic comedy (film) Romantic comedy
Language
English
Time
1940 1940s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

The Philadelphia Story. Directed by George Cukor, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1940.

Another quote originally in French

My diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly. There is so much to do. You can wander off in space or in time, set out for Tierra del Fuego or for King Midas's court. You can visit the woman you love, slide down beside her and stroke her still-sleeping face.

Jean-Dominique Bauby

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

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More information about this quote
Topic
Imagination Power of thought

Author

Jean-Dominique Bauby
Source
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Medium
Novel
Language
French
Time
1997 1990s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Bauby, Jean-Dominique. Le Scaphandre et le Papillon [The Diving Bell and the Butterfly]. Editions Robert Laffont, 1997, prologue.