Simone de Beauvoir
1908–1986 · French
About Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir was a philosopher, novelist, and feminist whose work redefined how we think about freedom, identity, and purpose. In The Ethics of Ambiguity, she argued that meaning is not given but chosen, and that authentic living requires both personal freedom and commitment to the liberation of others. Her groundbreaking work The Second Sex exposed how social structures shape human possibility, and her existentialist ethics insist that we are responsible not only for our own meaning but for the conditions that allow others to seek theirs.
Quotes by Simone de Beauvoir
"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman."
"Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself; if all it does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying."
"I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely."
"Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay."
"One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others."