To desire friendship is a great fault. Friendship should be a gratuitous joy like those afforded by art or life. We must refuse it so that we may be worthy to receive it; it is of the order of grace. [p.274]
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Weil argues that seeking friendship as a reward undermines its value. True friendship is a gift of grace that must be received with humility, not pursued as a right.
- In plain terms
- Friendship should be a free gift, not something you chase or demand.
- What can you take from it?
- Approach relationships with humility rather than expectation.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you distinguish between seeking connection and demanding it?
- What makes a relationship feel like grace rather than obligation?
Another view
This view may undervalue the active effort required to maintain friendships.
More from Simone Weil
God's love for us is not the reason for which we should love him. God's love for us is the reason for us to love ourselves. [p.270]
Permalink to quote #50 To wish to escape from solitude is cowardice. Friendship is not to be sought, not to be dreamed, not to be desired; it is to be exercised (it is a virtue). [p.…
Permalink to quote #52 If we love God while thinking that he does not exist, he will manifest his existence. [p.260]
Permalink to quote #49
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