Quote Of The Day By Jean-Paul Sartre: 'There Is No Love Apart From The Deeds Of Love...'

Any time you find yourself questioning your purpose in life or your place in the world, you may turn to some of history's greatest minds for answers. No doubt Jean-Paul Sartre would be on that shortlist. The French writer and philosopher was born in 1905 and died in 1980. Over the course of his life and career, he also worked as a professor and penned many plays and books, such as "No Exit" and "What Is Literature?" He may be most known for his contributions to existentialism.

The basis of Sartre's existentialist teachings was that humans are in charge of and responsible for their own lives and decisions, not God or a higher power. He felt that this was true at the individual level, as well as a societal one (via Daily Philosophy). With a formative lecture, Sartre helped bring existentialism to the masses, while also sharing one of his most well-known quotes about love.

Jean-Paul Sartre once said, "There is no love apart from the deeds of love; no potentiality of love other than that which is manifested in loving." These impactful words are from Sartre's fall 1945 lecture at Paris' Club Maintenant, which was also published into a book, titled "Existentialism is a Humanism." At first glance, it may be hard to parse out Sartre's meaning, but he seems to be saying that when it comes to love — and all things in life, really — your actions turn your feelings into something tangible.

You can tell your loved ones "I love you" (or "ILY" for the avid texters) every day, but Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialist beliefs seem to indicate that just the words don't really mean it or show it. Instead, love comes from actions. The "loving" Sartre mentioned could come in many forms, such as a thoughtful gift or remembering important dates, like anniversaries. Any time you take the time to do something special for someone special, you're turning the love you feel into something real.

The quotes that precede Sartre's quote on love in "Existentialism is a Humanism" allude to his discussions around "bad faith," which is when people resist the idea that they have freedom to make choices and change their lives (via Philosopheasy). On that note, Sartre could also be saying that people who want love in their lives can't sit idly by and wait for it to fall into their laps, then blame society or the world if they struggle to make connections. He also said, "There is no genius other than that which is expressed in works of art," once again highlighting the importance of taking action.

Sartre openly opposed marriage, but that didn't cause him to avoid romantic love in his life. His longtime partner, Simone de Beauvoir, was an author and philosopher as well, and they had an open relationship.

• "It's quite an undertaking to start loving somebody. You have to have energy, generosity, blindness. There is even a moment right at the start where you have to jump across an abyss: if you think about it you don't do it."
• "In love, one and one are one."
• "If you're lonely when you're alone, you're in bad company."
• "It is up to you to give [life] a meaning."
• "It is only in our decisions that we are important."