Maybe you learned about Simone de Beauvoirin high school or college, or because you’re really into feminist theory. You might also know of her because she’s a rather influential figure in history. Or maybe you’re like me and first heard her name in 10 Things I Hate About You (probably due to my age and when I watched it). But regardless of how, most of us have heard of Beauvoir.
She’s a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist and feminist activist. However, she did not think of herself as a philosopher, nor did the public until after her death, according to the New York Times in 1998. She wrote many novels, essays and treatises, and our quote of the day comes from a work of hers about old age, calling for us to value others as we value our own lives.
As the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy reported, she’s regarded as an existentialist philosopher because a lot of her philosophical writings had to do with life, how one should live or think of their life in congruence with others and many other existential themes. She emphasized “freedom, responsibility and ambiguity” throughout all of her works, showing off these principles.
She’s probably most well-known for being a major feminist figure, trailblazing feminist theory and philosophy. As Britannica reported, her 1949 treatise, The Second Sex (Le Deuxième Sexe in its original French title), gives a “scholarly and passionate plea for the abolition of what she called the myth of the ‘eternal feminine.’” Basically, she wrote that much of what we perceive as feminine or womanly things are social constructs that were shaped by men and the patriarchal structure in which we live.
Her ideas ranged over a large number of topics, with many of her theories and philosophies merging into one another. Today’s quote comes from one of her better-known works, where she speaks about an improved understanding of old age. And in its conclusion, she writes a line about how our life only has value if we value others’ lives.
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Quote of the Day by Simone de Beauvoir
“One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion.”
This quote appears in Beauvoir’s book, The Coming of Age (La Vieillesse), published in 1970, in her concluding chapter of “Part Two.” This chapter starts off talking about how “old age is not a necessary end to human life.” While she does admit that, of course, the human body declines physically later in life, it’s not the end of a person’s living soul. She then goes on to share some cultural views of old age and how your elderly years should be “contrasted with life,” not death.
Beauvoir then calls this “old age” era a parody of our life as a whole. While death defies time and relieves people of any pain or sadness, being old can be frustrating and might pale in comparison to your younger years. However, she writes that if you don’t want your elder years to be “an absurd parody of our former life,” then you need to “go on pursuing ends that give our existence a meaning.” Basically, that saying, “I’m old, not dead,” really rings true with what Beauvoir is saying here.
That’s where today’s quote comes in. She writes:
“One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion. When this is so, then there are still valid reasons for activity or speech.”
She says that we’re all told to “prepare for old age,” but that should mean more than just setting money aside for retirement or choosing how we’re going to spend our retirement years. You should also prepare by living a “fairly committed, fairly justified life so that one may go on in the same path even when all illusions have vanished, and one’s zeal for life has died away.”
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Deeper Meaning of Simone de Beauvoir’s Quote—The Importance of Friendship, Love and Compassion
In the context in which Beauvoir writes this quote, she is saying that as you get older, it can be hard to enjoy life like you used to. However, if you continue to be kind and value other people’s lives and your relationships with them, then your life will continue to be of value as well. Through “love, friendship, indignation [and] compassion,” you can continue to hold others in high regard throughout your elder years (and you should, according to Beauvoir).
Out of context, this quote is a great reminder of how we should respect others. It reminds me a lot of the “Golden Rule”: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Beauvoir’s words about your life not having any value unless you value others is such a good way to frame how you interact with people. Even in your lowest moments, you should still respect other people’s lives, not just so that you can get something in return or for good karma. But just because it’s the right thing to do.
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More Quotes from Simone de Beauvoir
- “One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.”
- “Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.”
- “To make oneself an object, to make oneself passive, is a very different thing from being a passive object.”
- “The most mediocre of males feels himself a demigod as compared with women.”
- “There is only one good. And that is to act according to the dictates of one’s conscience.”
- “I’m never afraid. But in my case it’s nothing to be proud of.”
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