Jean-Paul Sartre Quotes

[M]an is condemned to be free. Condemned, because he did not create himself, in other respect is free; because, once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. The Existentialist does not believe in the power of passion. He will never agree that a sweeping passion is a ravaging torrent which fatally leads a man to certain acts and is therefore an excuse. He thinks that man is responsible for his passion.

When one has genuinely chosen a course for oneself it cannot be possible to hold another responsible for it.

Liberty not only means that the individual has both the opportunity and the burden of choice; it also means that he must bear the consequences of his actions. Liberty and responsibility are inseparable.

The divine is God's concern; the human, man's. My concern is neither the divine nor the human, not the true, good, just, free, etc., but solely what is 'mine,' and it is not a general one, but is - 'unique,' as I am unique. Nothing is more to me than myself!

Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibility in the realm of faith and morals.

As human beings, we are endowed with freedom of choice, and we cannot shuffle off our responsibility upon the shoulders of God or nature. We must shoulder it ourselves. It is our responsibility.

In the last analysis, the individual person is responsible for living his own life and for 'finding himself.' If he persists in shifting his responsibility to somebody else, he fails to find out the meaning of his own existence.

Since no one but you can know what's best for you, government control can't make your life better.

I am responsible for no one but myself.

Years ago I learned to be totally responsible for Dionne Warwick. I will not wait for opportunities. I will create them.

I think it's very important that you make your own decision about what you are. Therefore you're responsible for your actions, so you don't blame other people.

Man must assume responsibility for the direction of his life and destiny.

The price of freedom is responsibility, but it's a bargain, because freedom is priceless.

You are your own devil, you are your own God, You fashioned the paths that your footsteps have trod, And no one can save you from error or sin, Until you shall hark to the Spirit within.

The more freedom we enjoy, the greater the responsibility we bear, toward others as well as ourselves.

My political philosophy as a libertarian says that government has no business intervening in any consensual private behavior. My professional ethic as a thinker and writer, however, says that self-knowledge is our ultimate responsibility

We cannot abdicate our conscience to an organization, nor to a government. 'Am I my brother's keeper?' Most certainly I am! I cannot escape my responsibility by saying the State will do all that is necessary. It is a tragedy that nowadays so many think and feel otherwise.

Conservatives say human beings are people who are primarily concerned with self-interest, and that's what they should be concerned with - self-interest and individual responsibility. They shouldn't be paying for anybody else's health care or anything else like that. As a result, government is something that should be absolutely minimal. It's not there for your overall protection and empowerment - it's not there to offer protection against disease or natural disasters or bad products or companies who sell you fallacious mortgages and so on.

Each of you, for himself, by himself and on his own responsibility, must speak.

I am inclined to believe that a man may be free to do anything he pleases if only he will accept responsibility for whatever he does.

There is no safe political refuge for those afraid to take responsibility for their own lives.

I believe we've been given free will, and we can take responsibility for our own lives and for creating our own environments - which I think at times can be a little much for people to deal with.

Freedon succeeds from the moment people stop looking to others to improve their lives and start taking responsibility.

No one is responsible under liberalism.