Beauty Quote by Simone Weil
“It may be that vice, depravity, and crime are nearly always, or even perhaps always, in their essence, attempts to eat beauty, to eat what we should only look at.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Need for Roots, 1949
Vice, depravity, and crime often stem from a desire to consume or destroy beauty, contrary to appreciating it.
In simple terms: Crime can be a perverse love of beauty.
Key Takeaway
Respect and protect beauty.
Themes
ethics
beauty
crime
Mood
critical
thoughtful
serious
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- art criticism
- urban planning
- environmental policy
- personal conduct
Key Concepts
philosophical aesthetics
human nature
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do people destroy what they admire?
- How can societies channel admiration positively?
A Different Perspective
Not all harmful acts arise from malice; some are twisted admiration.
![“All these institutions [prisons] seemed purposely invented for the production of depravity and vice, condensed to such a degree that no other conditions could produce it, and for the spreading of this condensed depravity and vice broadcast among the whole population.” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f71/leo-tolstoy-55_depravity_all-these-institutions-prisons-seemed-pu_254289.jpg)
