If a victory is told in detail, one can no longer distinguish it from a defeat.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Man is fully responsible for his nature and his choices.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humans are accountable for their actions and the essence of their character.
This quote by Jean-Paul Sartre emphasizes the existentialist belief that individuals are the architects of their own lives. It suggests that our choices define us and that we must take responsibility for our decisions, understanding that our essence is shaped by our actions rather than predetermined by external factors or societal expectations.
Themes
ResponsibilityChoicesExistentialismNatureIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class discussing ethics, this quote can prompt a debate about moral responsibility.
More from Jean-Paul Sartre
All quotes βAll I want is' - and he uttered the final words through clenched teeth and with a sort of shame - 'to retain my freedom.' I should myself have thought,' said Jacques, 'that freedom consisted in frankly confronting situations into which one had deliberately entered, and accepting all one's responsibilities. But that, no doubt, is not your view.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
A kiss without a moustache, they said then, is like an egg without salt; I will add to it: and it is like Good without Evil.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
I wanted pure love: foolishness; to love one another is to hate a common enemy: I will thus espouse your hatred. I wanted Good: nonsense; on this earth and in these times, Good and Bad are inseparable: I accept to be evil in order to become good.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Night is falling: at dusk, you must have good eyesight to be able to tell the Good Lord from the Devil.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Similar quotes
Speaking as a builder, if you start something, you must have a vision of the thing which arises from your instinct about preserving and enhancing what is there.
Christopher AlexanderRead
There can be many opinions on a thing, but there is only one truth." Vashet smiled lazily. "And if the pursuit of the truth was my goal, that would concern me." She gave a long yawn, stretching like a happy cat. "Instead I will focus on the joy in my heart, [...}
Patrick RothfussRead
The essence in obedience consists in the fact that a person comes to view himself as an instrument for carrying out another person's wishes and he therefore no longer regards himself as responsible for his actions.
Stanley MilgramRead
I have found both freedom and safety in my madness; the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.
Khalil GibranRead
The point I was making was not that Grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn't. But she is a typical white person.
Barack ObamaRead
Wood feeds the fire which burns it.
Leonardo Da VinciRead