I love discovering people who have put themselves out there in order to further a long delayed cause. Simone de Beauvoir is certainly one of them. I plan to get to know her much better in the coming months. What I do know about her is that according to Wikipedia she was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist over a century ago. She died at the age of 78 in 1986.

Existentialism, which I am currently studying emphasizes intense personal responsibility and the courage to live authentically despite life’s inherent absurdities. That certainly describes her and how she pushed the boundaries that were forced upon her.

Both quotes in the image above struck a nerve with me. One hundred and sixty years ago we were fighting a civil war over the “right” of one human being owning another. But at the same time women were considered “property” of men and had little say about their own future.

I am anxious to read more of her words in the coming weeks.