Jean-Paul Sartre Books

Let us begin with being itself. Objects in the world—stones, chairs, trees—exist fully, indifferently, in themselves. They simply are. This is what I call being-in-itself: solid, complete, lacking nothing. It is opaque and unreflective, identical with itself. In contrast, consciousness is characteri...

From Being and Nothingness

Every act of consciousness is consciousness of something—that is Husserl’s discovery, and I build upon it. Intentionality means that consciousness always points beyond itself. It is not a closed box containing ideas; it is a movement toward the world. In perceiving, desiring, imagining, I am always...

From Being and Nothingness

The phrase 'existence precedes essence' has become almost a slogan of existentialism, but it bears careful interpretation. When I say this, I mean that there is no predefined nature, no divine blueprint, that determines what a human being is. Unlike a manufactured object—a paper cutter, for example—...

From Existentialism Is a Humanism

Determinism is a seductive doctrine—it suggests that everything is written, that human beings are products of circumstance, biology, or divine will. But existentialism rejects such notions outright. I argue that man is radically free, because the absence of any predetermined essence implies that not...

From Existentialism Is a Humanism

When Antoine Roquentin begins his work as a historian, he imagines himself as a man grounded in the solidity of facts. He lives alone in Bouville, immersed in the dry documents concerning the life of the Marquis de Rollebon. It is an ordered pursuit—the kind of intellectual activity that suggests a ...

From Nausea

Roquentin’s reflections on Anny, a woman he once loved, provide the most intimate illustration of his crisis. In his memories, she represents order, rhythm, and beauty—an artist of moments, someone who could make life feel meaningful through a certain 'perfect arrangement' of experiences. Yet these ...

From Nausea