Q0088
“Man is condemned to be free.” — Jean-Paul Sartre (Existentialism Is a Humanism)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Existentialism Is a Humanism. Theme: freedom.
English
Man is condemned to be free.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Existentialism Is a Humanism and files it under Existentialism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) was the public face of French existentialism, author of Being and Nothingness, plays, novels, and political essays. Captured in World War II, he later co-founded Les Temps modernes and refused the 1964 Nobel Prize.
Interpretation
Sartre's claim is that freedom is not a property people have but the condition they are in. "Condemned" means there is no opting out: even refusing to choose is a choice one is answerable for. In his framework existence precedes essence — there is no human nature to serve as excuse or as script — so what a person is comes entirely from what they do. The sentence is meant to be unsettling rather than liberating, since the responsibility it describes cannot be transferred.
Why it matters
It removes a familiar refuge. "I had no choice" is rarely literally true, and treating it as true is itself the thing Sartre is describing.
Concepts in this quote
- Freedom
- Freedom is among the most searched and most contested themes in philosophy: what it is to choose, to be responsible, and to live without illegitimate constraint.
- Responsibility
- Responsibility asks what we answer for—our choices, omissions, institutions, and the futures we help create.
- Choice
- Choice is the hinge of agency: selecting among options under reasons, constraints, and uncertainty.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Jean-Paul Sartre. (n.d.). Man is condemned to be free. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0088
MLA: Jean-Paul Sartre. “Man is condemned to be free..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0088.
Chicago: Jean-Paul Sartre. “Man is condemned to be free..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0088.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Man is condemned to be free.”?
The passage is attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism Is a Humanism. The archive attributes this English wording to Existentialism Is a Humanism and files it under Existentialism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Jean-Paul Sartre mean by freedom?
Philosophers distinguish several ideas under the single word freedom. Negative freedom emphasizes non-interference; positive freedom emphasizes the capacity to act according to reasons, virtue, or authentic desire. This passage enters that discussion through freedom, responsibility, choice.