Remembering Jean-Paul Sartre: 15 Famous Quotes of the French Philosopher on His Birthday

French philosopher and political activist Jean-Paul Sartre was born on June 21, 1905 France. Born in France, Sartre became famous for his theory of existentialism that has been popularized widely. Sartre was also known for his theory of phenomenology.

Being a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism, Jean Paul Sartre’s work influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, and literary studies. For his contribution towards writing, Sartre was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature despite attempting to refuse it.

Sartre was a vocal promoter of freedom and gave many quotes that continue to inspire people after years even today.

Let’s recall some of the famous quotes by the great philosopher that are relevant even in the present times:

1. “If you’re lonely when you’re alone, you’re in bad company.”

2. “Do you think that I count the days? There is only one day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.”

3. “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give (life) a meaning.”

4. “Freedom is what we do with what is done to us.”

5. “Better to die on one’s feet than to live on one’s knees.”

6. “It’s quite an undertaking to start loving somebody. You have to have energy, generosity, blindness. There is even a moment right at the start where you have to jump across an abyss: if you think about it you don’t do it.”

7. “When the rich wage war it’s the poor who die.”

8. “Three o’clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do.”

9. “Everything has been figured out, except how to live.”

10. “My thought is me: that’s why I can’t stop. I exist because I think… and I can’t stop myself from thinking. At this very moment – it’s frightful - if I exist, it is because I am horrified at existing. I am the one who pulls myself from the nothingness to which I aspire.”

11. “The best work is not what is most difficult for you; it is what you do best.”

12. “There are two types of poor people, those who are poor together and those who are poor alone. The first are the true poor, the others are rich people out of luck.”

13. “We are our choices. “

14. “You are – your life, and nothing else.”

15. “Life begins on the other side of despair.”