Man is not the sum of what he has but the totality of what he does not yet have, of what he might have

When we say that a man is responsible for himself, we do not only mean that he is responsible for his own individuality, but that he is responsible for all men

Man is fully responsible for his nature and his choices

We are alone, with no excuses. That is the idea I shall try to convey when I say that man is condemned to be free. Condemned, because he did not create himself, yet, in other respects is free; because, once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.

What is meant here by saying that existence precedes essence? It means that first of all, man exists, turns up, appears on the scene, and, only afterwards, defines himself. ... Not only is man what he conceives himself to be, but he is also only what he wills himself to be after this thrust toward existence.Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.

The existentialist says at once that man is anguish.