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Full Idea
Justice is seeing that no harm is done to men. When a man cries inwardly 'Why am I being hurt?' he is being harmed. The other cry of 'Why have others got more than me?' refers to rights. We must distinguish them, and hush the second with law.
Gist of Idea
Justice (concerning harm) is distinct from rights (concerning inequality)
Source
Simone Weil (Human Personality [1943], p.93)
Book Ref
Weil,Simone: 'An Anthology' [Penguin 1986], p.93
A Reaction
Her great passion is for justice, and so she downplays rights. The simple 'why am I being hurt?' has a horrible resonance in 1943. What of the hurts of disease? Are they unjust?
Related Idea
Idea 23751 Rights are asserted contentiously, and need the backing of force [Weil]