Simone de Beauvoir — Quote from The Ethics of Ambiguity
“To will oneself free is also to will others free.”
The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947)
Concepts: freedom, solidarity, agency
Resonant Quotes
- “I rebel; therefore we exist.” — Albert Camus, The Rebel Both existentialists discover that individual assertion of freedom or rebellion necessarily implies and creates the p...
- “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is respon...” — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness De Beauvoir extends Sartre's radical freedom by revealing its inherently intersubjective dimension—one cannot authent...
- “Without community, there is no liberation, only the most vulnerable and tempo...” — Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider Both argue that genuine liberation is inherently collective, rejecting individualistic freedom in favor of recognizin...
- “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, t...” — Audre Lorde, The Cancer Journals Both quotes articulate how authentic personal liberation necessarily transcends individualism, with Beauvoir's ethica...
- “Your silence will not protect you.” — Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider Both quotes reveal that authentic freedom requires active engagement—de Beauvoir's mutual liberation and Lorde's reje...
- “The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against opp...” — bell hooks, Outlaw Culture Beauvoir and hooks both frame freedom as inherently relational — willing others free (Beauvoir) and choosing love as ...
- “Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom.” — Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds Tagore's love that gives freedom rather than claiming possession and Beauvoir's willing others free both frame love a...
- “Action, the only activity that goes on directly between men without the inter...” — Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition Both philosophers ground political ethics in the recognition that human action is inherently relational—Arendt throug...