---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One's life has value so long as one…"
description: "\"“One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, and compassion”\" — Simone de Beauvoir"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/simone-de-beauvoir-407_compassion_one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attr_1053144.jpg"
---

#  One's life has value so long as one attributes value to…

![“One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, and compassion” quote by Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/simone-de-beauvoir-407_compassion_one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attr_1053144.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/simone-de-beauvoir-407_compassion_one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attr_1053144.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/simone-de-beauvoir-407_compassion_one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attr_1053144.jpg)

> ““One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, and compassion””

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A life gains worth when we recognize and affirm the value of others through love, friendship, and compassion.

**In simple terms:** Life is valuable when we value others.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate empathy and supportive relationships.

Themes

compassion relationships humanity

Mood

reflective empathetic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- volunteering
- teamwork
- counseling
- community building

Key Concepts

existentialism ethical responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you express value for others daily?
- What barriers prevent you from showing compassion?

A Different Perspective

May overlook self‑care; relationships can be one‑sided.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Friendship Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship-compassion-2530968/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-means/) [Life Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-value/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Value Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-life/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/)

## Related quotes

> [One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attributes-value-to-the-life-of-2/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attributes-value-to-the-life-of-3/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [The functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-functions-of-intellect-are-insufficient-without-courage-love/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/as-long-as-our-orientation-is-toward-perfection-or-success-we-will/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Life only has the value a person gives it. If I killed you here and now, yours would be worthless and no one would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/life-only-has-the-value-a-person-gives-it-if-i-killed-you-here-and/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [“So let us reflect on what is truly of value in life, what gives meaning to our lives, and set our priorities on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/so-let-us-reflect-on-what-is-truly-of-value-in-life-what-gives/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [“It may be that I might have inferred from the pages that life teaches us to diminish the value of what we read, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/it-may-be-that-i-might-have-inferred-from-the-pages-that-life-teaches/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [“It is a fundamental misperception," Fouts says to me, "to think human life has more value than any other life form.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-slater/it-is-a-fundamental-misperception-fouts-says-to-me-to-think-human/)

[Lauren Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-slater/)

> [For me, no ideological or political conviction would justify the sacrifice of a human life. For me, the value of life is absolute, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-ramirez/for-me-no-ideological-or-political-conviction-would-justify-the/)

[Edgar Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-ramirez/)

> [“People have different attitudes about the universal value of life, but that value, with few exceptions, is scaled to how similar or dissimilar a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-miller/people-have-different-attitudes-about-the-universal-value-of-life-but/)

[Rory Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-miller/)

> [Life is short, and therefore, one thing being certain, death, let us take up a great ideal, and give up the whole life to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/life-is-short-and-therefore-one-thing-being-certain-death-let-us-take/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“To some the meaning of life can literally be just find some money for the next cig. Thats all their life consists of, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-torres/to-some-the-meaning-of-life-can-literally-be-just-find-some-money-for/)

[Emmanuel Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-torres/)

> [“Hygge happens when we commit to the pleasure of the present moment in its simplicity. It's there in the things we do that give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-thomsen-brits/hygge-happens-when-we-commit-to-the-pleasure-of-the-present-moment-in/)

[Louisa Thomsen Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-thomsen-brits/)

> [“Believe your life has value and you are here for a purpose. What that purpose is, is your life’s work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/believe-your-life-has-value-and-you-are-here-for-a-purpose-what-that/)

[Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/)

> [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

## More by Simone de Beauvoir

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Many things would be changed for Americans if they would only admit that there is ill-luck in this world and that misfortune is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/many-things-would-be-changed-for-americans-if-they-would-only-admit/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“You said something very true the other day: that for us, nudity begins with the face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/you-said-something-very-true-the-other-day-that-for-us-nudity-begins/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“Ženama se ne rađamo, nego postajemo”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/enama-se-ne-ra-amo-nego-postajemo/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself; if all it does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/life-is-occupied-in-both-perpetuating-itself-and-in-surpassing-itself/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Fathers never have exactly the daughters they want because they invent a notion a them that the daughters have to conform to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/fathers-never-have-exactly-the-daughters-they-want-because-they/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [However gifted an individual is at the outset, if his or her talents cannot be developed because of his or her social condition, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/however-gifted-an-individual-is-at-the-outset-if-his-or-her-talents/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [In fact, people seem to be tired of fiction now. There are so many other ways of exploring humanity - by ethnology, psychoanalysis, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/in-fact-people-seem-to-be-tired-of-fiction-now-there-are-so-many/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Feminism is one way of attacking society as it now exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/feminism-is-one-way-of-attacking-society-as-it-now-exists/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“Magari mi troverai ridicola, ma mi disprezzerei se non osassi esserlo mai”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/magari-mi-troverai-ridicola-ma-mi-disprezzerei-se-non-osassi-esserlo/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [from one minute to the next the present is merely an honorary past. It must be filled unceasingly anew to dissemble the curse it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/from-one-minute-to-the-next-the-present-is-merely-an-honorary-past-it/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-am-awfully-greedy-i-want-everything-from-life-i-want-to-be-a-woman/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“I enjoyed my exhaustion, though; I liked overdoing things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-enjoyed-my-exhaustion-though-i-liked-overdoing-things/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“But I miss you to the point of anguish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/but-i-miss-you-to-the-point-of-anguish/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

[Explore all 488 Simone de Beauvoir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

## More Compassion quotes

> [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/)

[Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/)

> [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/)

[Segun Magbagbeola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segun-magbagbeola/)

> [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/)

[Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/)

> [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

> [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/)

[Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/)

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/)

[Talib al Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-al-habib/)

> [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

[Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, and compassion”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Simone de Beauvoir"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attributes-value-to-the-life-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Compassion"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attributes-value-to-the-life-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/simone-de-beauvoir-407_compassion_one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attr_1053144.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/simone-de-beauvoir-407_compassion_one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attr_1053144.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/simone-de-beauvoir-407_compassion_one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attr_1053144.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship…” — Simone de Beauvoir",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Simone de Beauvoir",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“One's life has value so long...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attributes-value-to-the-life-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-s-life-has-value-so-long-as-one-attributes-value-to-the-life-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
