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Attention consists of suspending our thought, leaving it detached, empty, and ready to be penetrated by the object; it means holding in our minds, within reach of this thought, but on a lower level and not in contact with it, the diverse knowledge we have acquired which we are forced to make use of.

— Simone Weil Waiting on God (1950)

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More quotes by Simone Weil

Art is the symbol of the two noblest human efforts: to construct and to refrain from destruction.

The most important part of education — to teach the meaning of to know (in the scientific sense).

Waiting on God (1950)

Stars and blossoming fruit-trees: utter permanence and extreme fragility give an equal sense of eternity.

Simone Weil : An Anthology (1986)

An imaginary perfection is automatically at the same level as I who imagine it — neither higher nor lower.

Simone Weil : An Anthology (1986)

Men of the most brilliant intelligence can be born, live and die in error and falsehood.

Simone Weil : An Anthology (1986)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Simone Weil (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.