--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Part of being of a true existentialist is…" description: "\"“Part of being of a true existentialist is wanting to be what we make ourselves be by the way we choose to act, as opposed to making excuses for the wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/gary-cox-108440_act_part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-i_199836.jpg" --- # Part of being of a true existentialist is wanting to be… ![“Part of being of a true existentialist is wanting to be what we make ourselves be by the way we choose to act, as opposed to making excuses for the way we act and regretting it.” quote by Gary Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/gary-cox-108440_act_part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-i_199836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/gary-cox-108440_act_part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-i_199836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/gary-cox-108440_act_part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-i_199836.jpg) > ““Part of being of a true existentialist is wanting to be what we make ourselves be by the way we choose to act, as opposed to making excuses for the way we act and regretting it.”” Gary Cox ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True existentialists actively shape themselves through intentional choices, avoiding excuses and regret. **In simple terms:** Existentialists create themselves by choice, not excuse. Key Takeaway Choose actions that define you. Themes existentialism choice self‑creation responsibility authenticity Mood reflective empowering Type Philosophical motivational advisory When to use this quote - life decisions - creative work - personal development Key Concepts philosophical agency personal freedom ethical living Questions to Reflect On - What choices define your identity? - How can you avoid regret through intentional action? A Different Perspective Excuses are common. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuses/) [Existentialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialism/) [Existentialist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialist/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) ## Related quotes > [I think it's true that for existentialist thinkers, appreciation of what we are - free, makers of meaning, 'issues' for ourselves, and so on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-cooper/i-think-it-s-true-that-for-existentialist-thinkers-appreciation-of/) [David E. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-cooper/) > [I grew up watching a lot of Italian and French movies, so I want to have that '70s look, in my dream movie. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-zurer/i-grew-up-watching-a-lot-of-italian-and-french-movies-so-i-want-to/) [Ayelet Zurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-zurer/) > [“For many have but one resource to sustain them in their misery, and that is to think, “Circumstances have been against me, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/for-many-have-but-one-resource-to-sustain-them-in-their-misery-and/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“man is condemned to be free. Condemned, because he did not create himself, in other respect is free; because, once thrown into the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/man-is-condemned-to-be-free-condemned-because-he-did-not-create/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [What is meant here by saying that existence precedes essence? It means first of all, man exists, turns up, appears on the scene, and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/what-is-meant-here-by-saying-that-existence-precedes-essence-it-means/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“In particular those who are condemned to stagnation are often pronounced happy on the pretext that happiness consists in being at rest. This notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/in-particular-those-who-are-condemned-to-stagnation-are-often/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Man never ceases to seek knowledge about the objects of his experiences, to understand their meaning for his existence and to react to them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/man-never-ceases-to-seek-knowledge-about-the-objects-of-his/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [Give me lust, baby. Flash. Give me malice. Flash. Give me detached existentialist ennui. Flash. Give me rampant intellectualism as a coping mechanism. Flash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/give-me-lust-baby-flash-give-me-malice-flash-give-me-detached/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I feel as though dispossessed from the semblances of some crystalline reality to which I’d grown accustomed, and to some degree, had engaged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/i-feel-as-though-dispossessed-from-the-semblances-of-some-crystalline/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [“After he graduated from college, he went to Paris and became an Existentialist. He had a photograph taken of Existentialism and himself sitting at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/after-he-graduated-from-college-he-went-to-paris-and-became-an/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“You are the illusion. The person in the mirror is real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hooke/you-are-the-illusion-the-person-in-the-mirror-is-real/) [Isaac Hooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hooke/) > [Jean-Paul Sartre, the existentialist philosopher who celebrated the anguish of decision as a hallmark of responsibility, has no place in Silicon Valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/jean-paul-sartre-the-existentialist-philosopher-who-celebrated-the/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [ \[Albert Camus\] was not an existentialist! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/albert-camus-was-not-an-existentialist/) [Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/) > [Spirit and soul is horseshit of the worst sort. Obviously there are no fairies, no Santa Clauses, no spirits. What there is, is human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/spirit-and-soul-is-horseshit-of-the-worst-sort-obviously-there-are-no/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [“That is the idea I shall try to convey when I say that man is condemned to be free. Condemned, because he did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/that-is-the-idea-i-shall-try-to-convey-when-i-say-that-man-is/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## More by Gary Cox > [“To choose not to choose is still a choice for which you alone are responsible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/to-choose-not-to-choose-is-still-a-choice-for-which-you-alone-are/) Gary Cox Explore all 2 Gary Cox quotes ## More Act quotes > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/) [Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) Vashti Quiroz-Vega > [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I have no interest in watching myself act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/i-have-no-interest-in-watching-myself-act/) [Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I do believe some people can naturally act and don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/i-do-believe-some-people-can-naturally-act-and-don-t-know-it/) [Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/) > [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [On 'Workaholics,' I feel like I'm just hanging out with my buddies being filmed, but on 'Mindy,' I'm around professional funny people who act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/on-workaholics-i-feel-like-i-m-just-hanging-out-with-my-buddies-being/) [Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/) > [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/) [Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/) > [I honestly didn't know that I wanted to act until I was probably 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-rae-mayo/i-honestly-didn-t-know-that-i-wanted-to-act-until-i-was-probably-12/) [Miranda Rae Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-rae-mayo/) Browse all 1,802 Act quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Part of being of a true existentialist is wanting to be what we make ourselves be by the way we choose to act, as opposed to making excuses for the way we act and regretting it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gary Cox" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-is-wanting-to-be-what-we-make/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Act" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-is-wanting-to-be-what-we-make/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/gary-cox-108440_act_part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-i_199836.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/gary-cox-108440_act_part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-i_199836.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/gary-cox-108440_act_part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-i_199836.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Part of being of a true existentialist is wanting to be what we make ourselves be by the way we choose to…” — Gary Cox", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gary Cox", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cox/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Part of being of a true...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-is-wanting-to-be-what-we-make/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cox/part-of-being-of-a-true-existentialist-is-wanting-to-be-what-we-make/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```