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Full Idea
A right is effectual only in relation to its corresponding obligation, springing not from the individual who possesses it, but from others who consider themselves under an obligation to him. In isolation a man only has duties, and only others have rights.
Gist of Idea
People have duties, and only have rights because of the obligations of others to them
Source
Simone Weil (The Need for Roots [1943], I 'Needs')
Book Ref
Weil,Simone: 'The Need for Roots' [Routledge 2002], p.3
A Reaction
This seems correct, and obviously refutes the idea that people have intrinsic natural rights. However, it may be our sense of what nature requires which gives rise to the obligations we feel towards others.
Related Idea
Idea 23836 Obligations only bind individuals, not collectives [Weil]