The younger and healthier a woman is and the more her new and glossy body seems destined for eternal freshness, the less useful is artifice; but the carnal weakness of this prey that man takes and its ominous deterioration always have to be hidden from him.. In any case, the more traits and proportions of a woman seem contrived, the more she delighted the heart of man because she seemed to escape the metamorphosis of natural things. The result is this strange paradox that by desiring to grasp nature, but transfigured, in woman, man destines her to artifice. Simone De Beauvoir
About This Quote

The idea behind this quote is that the more “artificially” a person is created, the more they can be relied upon to be faithful and loyal. The more a woman grows and changes, the more her husband must use artifice to try and keep her. An example of this might be a woman who is as new as she can be as she was born on the day before yesterday. Her newness and freshness would make her seem like she would always be young and new.

When you want something to last, it’s not the product of nature; it’s the product of artifice. It seems that men and women alike were keen on using artifice whenever they could to give their love a chance at success.

Source: The Second Sex

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More Quotes By Simone De Beauvoir
  1. In itself, homosexuality is as limiting as heterosexuality: the ideal should be to be capable of loving a woman or a man; either, a human being, without feeling fear, restraint, or obligation.
  2. One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, and compassion
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