Q0506
“The body is not a thing, it is a situation.” — Simone de Beauvoir (The Second Sex (1949), Vol. I)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Second Sex (1949), Vol. I. Theme: nature.
English
The body is not a thing, it is a situation.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Second Sex (1949), Vol. I and files it under Existentialism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) was a French existentialist philosopher and novelist whose The Second Sex (1949) transformed feminist theory. A Normalienne, she partnered intellectually with Sartre while building an independent oeuvre on ethics, aging, and politics.
How to read this passage
Nature may mean physical cosmos, living world, human nature, or a normative standard of what ought to be. Presocratics, Daoists, Stoics, and modern environmental thinkers share the word while disagreeing about its force. This passage enters that discussion through nature, freedom.
Concepts in this quote
- Nature
- Philosophy quotes about nature ask what the cosmos is, how humans belong in it, and whether “natural” can guide ethics or politics.
- Freedom
- Freedom is among the most searched and most contested themes in philosophy: what it is to choose, to be responsible, and to live without illegitimate constraint.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Simone de Beauvoir. (n.d.). The body is not a thing, it is a situation. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0506
MLA: Simone de Beauvoir. “The body is not a thing, it is….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0506.
Chicago: Simone de Beauvoir. “The body is not a thing, it is….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0506.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The body is not a thing, it is…”?
The passage is attributed to Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex (1949), Vol. I. The archive attributes this English wording to The Second Sex (1949), Vol. I and files it under Existentialism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Simone de Beauvoir mean by nature?
Nature may mean physical cosmos, living world, human nature, or a normative standard of what ought to be. Presocratics, Daoists, Stoics, and modern environmental thinkers share the word while disagreeing about its force. This passage enters that discussion through nature, freedom.