Stoics have nothing against existentialism quotes. While both come from the Western philosophy branch, existentialism focuses on the idea that existence is subjective. Every one of us will have a different experience while living in the world, and thus we will have to choose different paths. Where stoics try to view the world from a more positive and realistic perspective, existentialists take a more pessimistic stance. Existential quotes focus on the anxiety and the idea that you are in charge of your own life, even if it is absurd and dreadful.
Even the most simple existentialism quote tries to highlight the idea that the individual is in control and not the universe. These kinds of ideas gained a lot of popularity after World War 2 ended. The ideas emphasized that we get thrown into this world and can’t say where and when we arrive, but we can choose how we live. Existentialism philosophy highlights that the person has to choose what to do and create meaning in his life. Philosophers like Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, and more have expanded this school of thought.
If you are tired of stoic philosophy, then quotes about life through the eyes of an existentialist might be what you are looking for. In the list below, we put the most mind-opening and thought-provoking quotes for you to read up on. Upvote the quotes that you found to be the most interesting. If you have a saying you want to share, do so in the comments below. However, if deep life quotes have you feeling pessimistic, check out some positive ones we have compiled before.
#61
"Man cannot endure his own littleness unless he can translate it into meaningfulness on the largest possible level." - Ernest Becker
Ernest Becker
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#62
"All human actions are equivalent and all are on principle doomed to failure." - Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
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#63

"Struggle is what it means to be alive and free." - David Budbill
David Budbill
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#64
"Smooth and smiling faces everywhere, but ruin in their eyes." - Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
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#65
"Like all dreamers, I mistook disenchantment for truth." - Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
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#66

"The existentialist says at once that man is anguish." - Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
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#67
"The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming, that he laughed, and that he was looking for a sheep. If anybody wants a sheep, that is proof that he exists." - Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
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#68
"The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new." - Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
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#69

"The only sin is the sin of being born." - Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
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#70
"Perhaps my best years are gone. When there was a chance of happiness. But I wouldn’t want them back. Not with the fire in me now. No, I wouldn’t want them back." - Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
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#71
"I am in chains. Don’t touch my chains." - Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
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#72

"There is an infinite amount of hope in the universe… but not for us." - Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
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#73
"It’s not always easy to distinguish between existentialism and a bad mood." - Matthew Woodring Stover
Matthew Woodring Stover
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#74
"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal." - Albert Camus
Albert Camus
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#75

"I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world." - Albert Camus
Albert Camus
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#76
"I feel as if I were a piece in a game of chess when my opponent says of it: That piece cannot be moved." - Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard
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#77
"The tears of the world are a constant quantity. For each one who begins to weep somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh." - Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
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#78

"I rebel; therefore I exist." - Albert Camus
Albert Camus
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#79
"I think; therefore I am." - René Descartes
René Descartes
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#80
"Basically, at the very bottom of life, which seduces us all, there is only absurdity and more absurdity. And maybe that’s what gives us our joy for living because the only thing that can defeat absurdity is lucidity." - Albert Camus
Albert Camus
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