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The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind

Book by Simone Weil · 19 quotes · Humans, Rights, Clear

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The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind Quotes

“Concern for the symbol has completely disappeared from our science . And yet, if one were to give oneself the trouble, one could easily find, in certain parts at least of contemporary mathematics... symbols as clear, as beautiful, and as full of spiritual meaning as that of the circle and mediation. From modern thought to ancient wisdom the path would be short and direct, if one cared to take it.”

IfsGivingWould BeBeautifulSpiritualCertainPathClearTroubleModernConcernDirectMathematicsAncientOneselfCirclesContemporarySymbolsMediationAncient Wisdom
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“Money destroys human roots wherever it is able to penetrate, by turning desire for gain into the sole motive. It easily manages to outweigh all other motives, because the effort it demands of the mind is so very much less. Nothing is so clear and so simple as a row of figures.”

MindHumansAbleDesireSimpleEffortClearFiguresDemandGainsRootsManageMotiveSolePenetrate
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“We do injury to a child if we bring it up in a narrow Christianity, which prevents it from ever becoming capable of perceiving that there are treasures of purest gold to be found in non-Christian civilizations. Laical education does an even greater injury to children. It covers up those treasures, and those of Christianity as well.”

IfsWellsChildrenDoeChristianFoundChristianityGreaterBecomingCivilizationCapableGoldTreasureInjuryCover Ups
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“The notion of obligations comes before that of rights, which is subordinate and relative to the former. A right is not effectual by itself, but only in relation to the obligation to which it corresponds, the effective exercise of a right springing not from the individual who possesses it, but from other men who consider themselves as being under a certain obligation towards him. Recognition of an obligation makes it effectual. An obligation which goes unrecognized by anybody loses none of the full force of its existence. A right which goes unrecognized by anybody is not worth very much. It makes nonsense to say that men have, on the one hand, rights, and on the other hand, obligations. Such words only express differences in point of view. The actual relationship between the two is as between object and subject. A man, considered in isolation, only has duties, amongst which are certain duties towards himself. A man left alone in the universe would have no rights whatever, but he would have obligations.”

RightsResponsibilitiesDutiesObligations
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“Truth lights up the soul in proportion to its purity, not in any sense to its quantity. It isn't the quantity of metal which matters, but the degree of alloy. In this respect, a little pure gold is worth a lot of pure gold. A little pure truth is worth as much as a lot of pure truth. Similarly, one perfect Greek statue contains as much beauty as two perfect Greek statues.”

ArtLightTruthBeautyValueQuality Vs Quantity
Book:The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind
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