Q0511
“To exist is to make oneself a lack of being; it is…” — Simone de Beauvoir (The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947). Theme: existence.
English
To exist is to make oneself a lack of being; it is to cast oneself into the world.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947) 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
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Søren Kierkegaard and Henri Bergson), existence is framed through Existentialism and Process Philosophy. Some passages define existence; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through existence, freedom, nature.
Concepts in this quote
- Existence
- Existence appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat existence as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- 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.
- Nature
- Philosophy quotes about nature ask what the cosmos is, how humans belong in it, and whether “natural” can guide ethics or politics.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Simone de Beauvoir. (n.d.). To exist is to make oneself a lack of being; it is to cast oneself into the world. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0511
MLA: Simone de Beauvoir. “To exist is to make oneself a lack….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0511.
Chicago: Simone de Beauvoir. “To exist is to make oneself a lack….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0511.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “To exist is to make oneself a lack…”?
The passage is attributed to Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947). The archive attributes this English wording to The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947) 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 existence?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Søren Kierkegaard and Henri Bergson), existence is framed through Existentialism and Process Philosophy. Some passages define existence; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through existence, freedom, nature.