If a victory is told in detail, one can no longer distinguish it from a defeat.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
I do not feel that I am the product of chance, a speck of dust in the universe, but someone who was expected, prepared, prefigured. In short, a being whom only a Creator could put here; and this idea of a creating hand refers to God.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the belief that human existence is intentional rather than accidental.
In this quote, Jean-Paul Sartre conveys a sense of purpose and design in human existence, rejecting the notion of randomness in life. He emphasizes that individuals are not mere accidents in the universe, but rather the result of a deliberate act of creation by a higher power, whom he identifies as God. This reflects a philosophical perspective that sees meaning and intention behind existence.
Themes
ExistencePurposeCreationGodPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire a group discussion on the meaning of existence in a philosophy class.
More from Jean-Paul Sartre
All quotes →All 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.
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If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
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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.
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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.
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Night is falling: at dusk, you must have good eyesight to be able to tell the Good Lord from the Devil.
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To give up your individuality is to annihilate yourself.
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