"There can be a true grandeur in any degree of submissiveness, because it springs from loyalty to the laws and to an oath, and not from baseness of soul"

Simone Weil explores the paradoxical link between grandeur and submissiveness, traditionally seen as opposing qualities. Submissiveness is often associated with weakness or servility, an abdication of agency and dignity. However, Weil distinguishes a nobler form of submissiveness, one that arises not from “baseness of soul,” but from devotion to higher principles: loyalty to laws and oaths.

Here, “grandeur” signifies moral greatness, a kind of spiritual elevation marked by humility, reverence, and steadfastness. This grandeur is not rooted in outward assertiveness or the imposition of self-will. Instead, it flourishes in the acceptance of order, the willful alignment of the individual soul to something greater than itself. Weil implies that such submission, if inspired by loyalty to just laws or the sacredness of a sworn promise, transcends self-interest or cowardice.

Lofty submissiveness requires inner strength. To honor an oath or follow the law in difficult circumstances often demands the sacrifice of personal desires or ambitions. This sacrifice, performed willingly and consciously, expresses the highest form of integrity. By subordinating oneself to an external principle, the individual affirms the dignity and sanctity of that principle. Weil taps into a philosophical tradition that sees freedom not as the unfettered assertion of one’s own will, but as the right ordering of the self in relation to truth and justice.

Thus, the grandeur of such submissiveness lies in its source. When submission is grounded in conscience, love of justice, or fidelity to truth, it becomes an act of greatness. It is qualitatively different from submission rooted in fear, self-negation, or apathy. Instead of degradation, it is, paradoxically, a form of elevation, an active witness to what is honorable, enduring, and divine within the human spirit. For Weil, true submission to just laws or solemn vows is itself a mark of moral nobility.