If you live long enough, you'll see that every victory turns into a defeat.
Simone De BeauvoirRead
The notion of ambiguity must not be confused with that of absurdity. To declare that existence is absurd is to deny that it can ever be given a meaning; to say that it is ambiguous is to assert that its meaning is never fixed, that it must be constantly won. Absurdity challenges every ethics; but also the finished rationalization of the real would leave no room for ethics; it is because man's condition is ambiguous that he seeks, through failure and outrageousness, to save his existence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote distinguishes between ambiguity and absurdity in existence, emphasizing that while existence may lack fixed meaning, it still possesses value and purpose.
Simone De Beauvoir's quote explores the complexities of human existence, positing that while life may be inherently ambiguous, it is not absurd. Ambiguity implies that meaning is fluid and can be sought through personal experiences and efforts, even in the face of failure. Rather than denying meaning altogether, this perspective encourages individuals to navigate the uncertainties of life, striving for ethical values and personal significance. In this way, De Beauvoir highlights the importance of the human condition and our ongoing quest for understanding.
Themes
ExistenceAmbiguityAbsurdityMeaningEthics
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy lecture discussing existentialism.
More from Simone De Beauvoir
All quotes →Two separate beings, in different circumstances, face to face in freedom and seeking justification of their existence through one another, will always live an adventure full of risk and promise." (p. 248)
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To catch a husband is an art; to hold him is a job.
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Sex pleasure in woman is a kind of magic spell; it demands complete abandon; if words or movements oppose the magic of caresses, the spell is broken.
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As long as there have been men and they have lived, they have all felt this tragic ambiguity of their condition, but as long as there have been philosophers and they have thought, most of them have tried to mask it.
Simone De BeauvoirRead
Few tasks are more like the torture of Sisyphus than housework, with its endless repetition: the clean becomes soiled, the soiled is made clean, over and over, day after day. The housewife wears herself out marking time: she makes nothing, simply perpetuates the present … Eating, sleeping, cleaning – the years no longer rise up towards heaven, they lie spread out ahead, grey and identical. The battle against dust and dirt is never won.
Simone De BeauvoirRead
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