Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.
Meaning
Weil wrote this in a 1942 letter to the poet Joë Bousquet, treating undivided attention as a gift more valuable than money or advice. Try it today: put your phone away during one conversation and listen fully, without planning your reply, so the other person feels genuinely seen.
Source: Letter to Joë Bousquet (1942)
About the author
Simone Weil (1909–1943) was a French philosopher, mystic and political activist. She is known for her writings on attention, affliction, labour and spirituality, published mostly after her death in works such as Gravity and Grace.
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