A woman’s worst affliction is failing to recognize her condition as a woman

Evidence

What a curse to be a woman! And yet the very worst curse when one is a woman is, in fact, not to understand that it is one. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 673

Categorization

• APHORISMS: The paradox of self-knowledge as liberation — recognizing one’s condition, however cursed, is preferable to self-ignorance.
• XREF: connects to: Women’s alleged faults arise from their enclosed condition, not innate nature — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1745; Exclusion from adult female secrets provokes hysterical demands to be treated as a woman — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 766; Denied liberty, woman mistakes opaque destiny for necessity and so cannot believe in liberation. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1744

Broader Connections

• Women’s alleged faults arise from their enclosed condition, not innate nature #expands (0.85) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1745
• Exclusion from adult female secrets provokes hysterical demands to be treated as a woman #exemplifies (0.80) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 766