Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·219 of 348
"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman."
They never said that.
What people say
"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman."
What was actually said
"On ne naît pas femme : on le devient. (One is not born a woman: one becomes one.)" Simone de Beauvoir — Le Deuxième Sexe, Vol. II (1949)
Why it stuck
The English translation ("becomes, a woman") is H. M. Parshley's 1953 version — and it added "rather," softening the French aphorism. The 2010 Borde/Malovany-Chevallier translation restored the original terseness.
The "rather" is philosophically significant: Parshley's version sounds like gradual change; de Beauvoir's sounds like a decisive turn.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.