La persona e il sacro Quotes

“Apart from the intelligence, the only human faculty which has an interest in public freedom of expression is that point in the heart which cries out against evil. But as it cannot express itself, freedom is of little use to it. What is first needed is a system of public education capable of providing it, so far as possible, with means of expression; and next, a regime in which the public freedom of expression is characterized not so much by freedom as by an attentive silence in which this faint and inept cry can make itself heard; and finally, institutions are needed of a sort which will, so far as possible, put power into the hands of men who are able and anxious to hear and understand it.”
― Simone Weil, La persona e il sacro

“La relación entre lo colectivo y lo individual debe establecerse con el único objetivo de eliminar todo lo que pueda impedir el misterioso crecimiento y germinación de la parte impersonal del alma.”
― Simone Weil, La persona e il sacro

“Beauty is the supreme mystery of this world. It is a gleam which attracts the attention and yet does nothing to sustain it. Beauty always promises, but never gives anything; it stimulates hunger but has no nourishment for the part of the soul which looks in this world for sustenance. It feeds only the part of the soul that gazes. While exciting desire, it makes clear that there is nothing in it to be desired, because the one thing we want is that it should not change. If one does not seek means to evade the exquisite anguish it inflicts, then desire is gradually transformed into love; and one begins to acquire the faculty of pure and disinterested attention.”
― Simone Weil, La persona e il sacro

“Justice, truth, and beauty are the image in our world of this impersonal and divine order of the universe. Nothing inferior to them is worthy to be the inspiration of men who accept the fact of death.
Above those institutions which are concerned with protecting rights and persons and democratic freedoms, others must be invented for the purpose of exposing and abolishing everything in contemporary life which buries the soul under injustice, lies, and ugliness.
They must be invented, for they are unknown, and it is impossible to doubt that they are indispensable.”
― Simone Weil, La persona e il sacro

“No hay esperanza para el vagabundo que está de pie en el magistrado. Si a través de sus balbuceos brota algo desgarrador que atraviesa el alma, no será escuchado ni por el magistrado, ni por los circunstantes. Es un grito mudo. Y los desgraciados entre ellos son casi siempre también sordos, los unos para los otros. Y cada desgraciado, bajo la presión de la indiferencia general, trata, mediante la mentira o la inconsciencia, de hacerse sordo a sí mismo.”
― Simone Weil, La persona e il sacro