L’action est l’aiguille indicatrice de la balance. Il ne faut pas toucher à l’aiguille, mais aux poids.
La pesanteur et la grâce (1948), p. 57
Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 97

“Alexander is to a peasant proprietor what Don Juan is to a happily married husband.”

Simone Weil book Gravity and Grace

Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 78, (1972 edition)

“The thought of being under absolute compulsion, the plaything of another, is unendurable for a human being. Hence, if every way of escape from the constraint is taken from him, there is nothing left for him to do but to persuade himself that he does the things he is forced to do willingly, that is to say, to substitute devotion for obedience. … It is by this twist that slavery debases the soul: this devotion is in fact based on a lie, since the reasons for it cannot bear investigation. … Moreover, the master is deceived too by the fallacy of devotion.”

Simone Weil book Gravity and Grace

Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 142 (1972 edition)

“We should have with each person the relationship of one conception of the universe to another conception of the universe, and not to a part of the universe.”

Simone Weil book Gravity and Grace

Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 129 (1972 edition)

“It is not religion but revolution which is the opium of the people.”

Simone Weil book Gravity and Grace

Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 159 (1972 edition)

“Capitalism has brought about the emancipation of collective humanity with respect to nature. But this collective humanity has itself taken on with respect to the individual the oppressive function formerly exercised by nature.”

Simone Weil book Gravity and Grace

Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 140 (1972 edition)

“We believe we are rising because while keeping the same base inclinations (for instance: the desire to triumph over others) we have given them a noble object. We should, on the contrary, rise by attaching noble inclinations to lowly objects.”

Simone Weil book Gravity and Grace

Croire qu’on s’élève parce qu’en gardant les mêmes bas penchants (exemple : désir de l’emporter sur autrui) on leur a donné des objets élevés. On s’élèverait au contraire en attachant à des objets bas des penchants élevés.
La pesanteur et la grâce (1948), p. 61
Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 48 (1972 edition)

“The simultaneous existence of opposite virtues in the soul — like pincers to catch hold of God.”

Simone Weil book Gravity and Grace

Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 92 (1972 edition)

“That which is and that which cannot be are both outside the realm of becoming.”

Simone Weil book Gravity and Grace

Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 154 (1972 edition)
Context: We must wish either for that which actually exists or for that which cannot in any way exist — or, still better, for both. That which is and that which cannot be are both outside the realm of becoming.

Simone Weil book Gravity and Grace

… It is by this twist that slavery debases the soul: this devotion is in fact based on a lie, since the reasons for it cannot bear investigation. … Moreover, the master is deceived too by the fallacy of devotion.
Source: Gravity and Grace (1947), p. 142 (1972 edition)