--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To write the lives of the great in…" description: "\"To write the lives of the great in separating them from their works necessarily ends by above all stressing their pettiness, because it is in their wor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/simone-weil-544_ends_to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separ_211248.jpg" --- # To write the lives of the great in separating them from… ![“To write the lives of the great in separating them from their works necessarily ends by above all stressing their pettiness, because it is in their work that they have put the best of themselves.” quote by Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/simone-weil-544_ends_to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separ_211248.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/simone-weil-544_ends_to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separ_211248.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/simone-weil-544_ends_to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separ_211248.jpg) > “To write the lives of the great in separating them from their works necessarily ends by above all stressing their pettiness, because it is in their work that they have put the best of themselves.” [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing on the personal lives of great figures rather than their work reduces their achievements to petty details, as true value lies in their creations. **In simple terms:** Great works matter more than the creators' personal lives. Key Takeaway Prioritize studying the work itself. Themes legacy humility art authorship biography Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic research - art criticism - education - public discourse Key Concepts focus on output avoid idolization Questions to Reflect On - What can we learn from a creator's process? - How does separating art from artist affect appreciation? A Different Perspective Biographies can still provide useful context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Pettiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pettiness/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Pettiness is the tendency of people without large purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/pettiness-is-the-tendency-of-people-without-large-purposes/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [“Laughing at your pettiness probably works better than scolding yourself for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/laughing-at-your-pettiness-probably-works-better-than-scolding/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [“This terrible smallness of men was bigger than him, bigger than anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/this-terrible-smallness-of-men-was-bigger-than-him-bigger-than/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [Through the machineries of greed, pettiness, and the abuse of power, love occurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/through-the-machineries-of-greed-pettiness-and-the-abuse-of-power/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [“Your tears are never invisible---there is always an insecure woman that lights up when you point them out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/your-tears-are-never-invisible-there-is-always-an-insecure-woman-that/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [The pettiness of a mind can be measured by the pettiness of its adoration or its blasphemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/the-pettiness-of-a-mind-can-be-measured-by-the-pettiness-of-its/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [The Tao has no place for pettiness, and nor has Virtue. Pettiness is dangerous to Virtue; pettiness is dangerous to the Tao. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/the-tao-has-no-place-for-pettiness-and-nor-has-virtue-pettiness-is/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [To the mean eye all things are trivial, as certainly as to the jaundiced they are yellow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/to-the-mean-eye-all-things-are-trivial-as-certainly-as-to-the/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Nothing is better than music; when it takes us out of time, it has done more for us than we have the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-boulanger/nothing-is-better-than-music-when-it-takes-us-out-of-time-it-has-done/) [Nadia Boulanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-boulanger/) > [I have often thought how strange it is that men can at once and the same moment cheerfully consign our sex to lives either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-power-cobbe/i-have-often-thought-how-strange-it-is-that-men-can-at-once-and-the/) [Frances Power Cobbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-power-cobbe/) > [Pettiness seems to go hand in hand with vindictiveness. The smaller the person, the larger the need for revenge. This may account for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/pettiness-seems-to-go-hand-in-hand-with-vindictiveness-the-smaller/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [A noble heart cannot suspect in others the pettiness and malice that it has never felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/a-noble-heart-cannot-suspect-in-others-the-pettiness-and-malice-that/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [“Odd, don't you think? I have seen war, and invasions and riots. I have heard of massacres and brutalities beyond imagining, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-pears/odd-don-t-you-think-i-have-seen-war-and-invasions-and-riots-i-have/) [Iain Pears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-pears/) > [I think you are a liar because you think you know what is true. You think you feel what is true. But you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-croggon/i-think-you-are-a-liar-because-you-think-you-know-what-is-true-you/) [Alison Croggon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-croggon/) > [Je sais de quelles petitesses meurent les plus grandes amours. I know how pettiness ruins the greatest loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anouilh/je-sais-de-quelles-petitesses-meurent-les-plus-grandes-amours-i-know/) [Jean Anouilh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anouilh/) ## More by Simone Weil > [Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible does not give rise to revolt but to submission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/oppression-that-is-clearly-inexorable-and-invincible-does-not-give/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [One should identify oneself with the universe itself. Everything that is less than the universe is subjected to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/one-should-identify-oneself-with-the-universe-itself-everything-that/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/what-a-country-calls-its-vital-economic-interests-are-not-the-things/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The intelligent man who is proud of his intelligence is like the condemned man who is proud of his large cell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-intelligent-man-who-is-proud-of-his-intelligence-is-like-the/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The highest ecstasy is the attention at its fullest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-highest-ecstasy-is-the-attention-at-its-fullest/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [To be innocent is to bear the weight of the entire universe. It is to throw away the counterweight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/to-be-innocent-is-to-bear-the-weight-of-the-entire-universe-it-is-to/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Equality is the public recognition, effectively expressed in institutions and manners, of the principle that an equal degree of attention is due to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/equality-is-the-public-recognition-effectively-expressed-in/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The entire universe is nothing but a great metaphor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-entire-universe-is-nothing-but-a-great-metaphor/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [A beautiful woman looking at her image in the mirror may very well believe the image is herself. An ugly woman knows it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/a-beautiful-woman-looking-at-her-image-in-the-mirror-may-very-well/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Only he who has measured the dominion of force, and knows how not to respect it, is capable of love andjustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/only-he-who-has-measured-the-dominion-of-force-and-knows-how-not-to/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Every time that I think of the crucifixion of Christ, I commit the sin of envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/every-time-that-i-think-of-the-crucifixion-of-christ-i-commit-the-sin/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [A Pharisee is someone who is virtuous out of obedience to the Great Beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/a-pharisee-is-someone-who-is-virtuous-out-of-obedience-to-the-great/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Joy is being fully aware of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/joy-is-being-fully-aware-of-reality/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) [Explore all 443 Simone Weil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) ## More Ends quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [it is the brevity of life which makes it tolerable; its experiences have value because they have an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/it-is-the-brevity-of-life-which-makes-it-tolerable-its-experiences/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Believe to the end, even if all men went astray and you were left the only one faithful; bring your offering even then and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/believe-to-the-end-even-if-all-men-went-astray-and-you-were-left-the/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) Browse all 20,790 Ends quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To write the lives of the great in separating them from their works necessarily ends by above all stressing their pettiness, because it is in their work that they have put the best of themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Simone Weil" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separating-them-from-their-works/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ends" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separating-them-from-their-works/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/simone-weil-544_ends_to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separ_211248.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/simone-weil-544_ends_to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separ_211248.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/simone-weil-544_ends_to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separ_211248.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To write the lives of the great in separating them from their works necessarily ends by above all stressing…” — Simone Weil", "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 Weil", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To write the lives of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separating-them-from-their-works/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/to-write-the-lives-of-the-great-in-separating-them-from-their-works/#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 } } ] } ```