If a victory is told in detail, one can no longer distinguish it from a defeat.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
It disturbs me no more to find men base, unjust, or selfish than to see apes mischievous, wolves savage, or the vulture ravenous.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses indifference towards human flaws, comparing them to natural animal behaviors that are equally base or savage.
Jean-Paul Sartre's quote reflects a profound existential observation about the nature of humanity. By likening human traits such as selfishness and injustice to the instinctual behaviors of animals, Sartre suggests that these characteristics are inherent and part of a natural order, evoking a sense of detachment from the moral failings of individuals. This reveals a bleak acceptance of human nature, equating moral deficiency in humans with the instinctive actions of creatures of the wild, indicating that such behaviors are not surprising but rather expected in the grand scheme of life.
Themes
Human NatureMoralityExistentialismIndifferenceAnimal Behavior
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a discussion on the nature of morality in a philosophy class.
More from Jean-Paul Sartre
All quotes βAll I want is' - and he uttered the final words through clenched teeth and with a sort of shame - 'to retain my freedom.' I should myself have thought,' said Jacques, 'that freedom consisted in frankly confronting situations into which one had deliberately entered, and accepting all one's responsibilities. But that, no doubt, is not your view.
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If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
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A kiss without a moustache, they said then, is like an egg without salt; I will add to it: and it is like Good without Evil.
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I wanted pure love: foolishness; to love one another is to hate a common enemy: I will thus espouse your hatred. I wanted Good: nonsense; on this earth and in these times, Good and Bad are inseparable: I accept to be evil in order to become good.
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Night is falling: at dusk, you must have good eyesight to be able to tell the Good Lord from the Devil.
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