697 Quotes by Simone de Beauvoir

Je sais qu'on ne peut jamais se connaître, mais seulement se raconter.

; the man who does not "understand" a woman is happy to replace his subjective deficiency with an objective resistance; instead of admitting his ignorance, he recognizes the presence of a mystery exterior to himself: here is an excuse that flatters his laziness and vanity at the same time.

Every war, every revolution, demands the sacrifice of a generation, of a collectivity, by those who undertake it.

All those minds that are interested in finding out the truth communicate with each other across the distances of space and time. I, too, was taking part in the effort which humanity makes to know.

One has no right to make up one's mind about the future in advance.

I’ve done everything I wanted to do, writing books, learning about things, but I’ve been swindled all the same because it’s never anything more.

That's what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.

To make something good of the future, you have to look the present in the face.

Male beauty is a sign of transcendence, that of woman has the passivity of immanence