Q0276
“Man is a useless passion.” — Jean-Paul Sartre (Being and Nothingness)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Being and Nothingness. Theme: existence.
English
Man is a useless passion.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Being and Nothingness 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
This is Sartre's formulation of the priority of existence, compressed into a reversal of a scholastic formula. The claim is that there is no fixed human nature that precedes a person and determines what they are; a person first exists, then defines themselves through action. Because there is no prior blueprint, there is also no excuse — the account is the basis of his ethics of responsibility. The formulation is deliberately paradoxical because it inverts the traditional order.
Why it matters
The practical consequence is that you cannot settle what you are by looking it up. It is settled by what you do, which is why the question stays open.
Concepts in this quote
- Existence
- Existence appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat existence as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Desire
- Desire drives action and suffering alike; philosophy asks which desires to educate, restrain, or affirm.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Jean-Paul Sartre. (n.d.). Man is a useless passion. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0276
MLA: Jean-Paul Sartre. “Man is a useless passion..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0276.
Chicago: Jean-Paul Sartre. “Man is a useless passion..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0276.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Man is a useless passion.”?
The passage is attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness. The archive attributes this English wording to Being and Nothingness 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 existence?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Søren Kierkegaard and Henri Bergson), existence is framed through Existentialism and Process Philosophy. Some passages define existence; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through existence, desire.