Jean-Paul Sartre Quotes
Jean-Paul Sartre was a 20th-century French philosopher, playwright, novelist, and political activist, the leading public exponent of existentialism in the post-war period. His major philosophical work, Being and Nothingness, develops a phenomenological account of consciousness, freedom, and the situated character of human existence. The quotes below are attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre, organized by topic.
Jean-Paul Sartre on Freedom
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“Man is condemned to be free.”
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.”
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you.”
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“We are our choices.”
Jean-Paul Sartre on Life
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“Hell is other people.”
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“Existence precedes essence.”
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“Life begins on the other side of despair.”
Jean-Paul Sartre on Time
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do.”
Jean-Paul Sartre on Truth
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“Like all dreamers, I mistook disenchantment for truth.”
Jean-Paul Sartre on Virtue
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Attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre:
“Commitment is an act, not a word.”