Lesson · 4 min Gentle
Existence Before Essence
In one line Sartre held that a person exists first and defines themselves through choices, with no fixed nature to fall back on.
Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, novelist and playwright, and the best-known existentialist of the twentieth century. In a 1945 lecture, published as Existentialism Is a Humanism, he gave the movement its slogan: existence precedes essence.
A paper-knife, he said, is designed for a purpose before it is made; its essence comes first. A human being has no designer and no fixed nature. We exist first, and then define ourselves by what we do. That is why, in his phrase, we are condemned to be free: we cannot avoid choosing, and even refusing to choose is a choice.
He told of a student torn between caring for his mother and joining the Free French. No rule could decide for him. Sartre’s advice: you are free, so choose. The lesson Bad Faith explores the pretense of having no choice.
Go deeper
Sartre’s longer work Being and Nothingness, from 1943, set out the philosophy behind the lecture, and he later regretted parts of the popular lecture as too simple. He worked closely with Simone de Beauvoir for most of his life. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and declined it, saying a writer should not let himself be turned into an institution.
Not a people person
Theo has told colleagues for years that he is just not a people person, so he avoids meetings and lets others present his work.
A mentor asks what he does that keeps the description true. Theo sees it is a string of choices: skipped invitations, other people speaking for him. He starts with one short presentation. The label was never a fixed nature.
Try this today Name one thing you say you just are, and ask what choices keep making it true.
Cite or share this lesson
A plain reference you can paste into notes or an essay:
Quest2Reason. “Existence Before Essence.” https://quest2reason.com/learn/lesson/existence-before-essence. Accessed 13 November 2026.
Sources
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Jean-Paul Sartre” — Covers existence and essence, freedom, bad faith and his life and work.
- Wikipedia, “Existentialism Is a Humanism” — Summarizes the 1945 lecture, the paper-knife and the student’s dilemma.
- Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism Is a Humanism (1946) — The paper-knife, the slogan, and the student’s dilemma. Paraphrased; nothing is quoted.