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Full Idea
Suppose the devil were bargaining for the soul of some wretch, and some pitying person said to the devil 'Shame on you, that commodity is worth twice as much'. Such is the sinister farce played by the working class unions, parties and intellectuals.
Gist of Idea
It is not more money which the wretched members of society need
Source
Simone Weil (Human Personality [1943], p.80)
Book Ref
Weil,Simone: 'An Anthology' [Penguin 1986], p.80
A Reaction
A striking thought. It is paradoxical when the working classes despise the middle classes, and yet aspire to be like them. It's hard to know what a mystic like Weil has in mind. An obvious thought is that the aspiration should be freedom, not money.
Related Idea
Idea 23752 Giving centrality to rights stifles all impulses of charity [Weil]