Simone Weil

Waiting for God

The book is most notable for Weil's lengthy letter titled "Spiritual Autobiography" and for her "Meditation on the Pater Noster," which is the discursive record of a spiritual process that led to her almost daily attainment of a mystical vision of God. This is not pretty writing; it is an agonized record of amazement.

Gravity and Grace

Gravity and Grace was the first ever publication by the remarkable thinker and activist, Simone Weil. In it Gustave Thibon, the priest to whom she had entrusted her notebooks before her untimely death, compiled in one remarkable volume a compendium of her writings that have become a source of spiritual guidance and wisdom for countless individuals.

The Simone Weil Reader

Recommended as a good introduction to her thinking and containing many key texts that would otherwise be difficult to obtain.

The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind

Published posthumously purpose was to help rebuild France after the war. In this, her most famous book, Weil reflects on the importance of religious and political social structures in the life of the individual. She wrote that one of the basic obligations we have as human beings is to not let another suffer from hunger. Equally as important however is our duty towards our community: we may have declared various human rights, but we have overlooked the obligations and this has left us self-righteous and rootless.