--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is therefore senseless to think of…" description: "\"It is therefore senseless to think of complaining since nothing foreign has decided what we feel, what we live, or what we are.\" — Jean-Paul Sartre" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/jean-paul-sartre-220_complaining_it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-co_2066375.png" --- # It is therefore senseless to think of complaining since… ![“It is therefore senseless to think of complaining since nothing foreign has decided what we feel, what we live, or what we are.” quote by Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/jean-paul-sartre-220_complaining_it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-co_2066375.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/jean-paul-sartre-220_complaining_it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-co_2066375.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/jean-paul-sartre-220_complaining_it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-co_2066375.png) > “It is therefore senseless to think of complaining since nothing foreign has decided what we feel, what we live, or what we are.” [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We cannot blame external forces for our feelings; we are responsible for our own emotional responses. **In simple terms:** Own your feelings, no excuses. Key Takeaway Accept responsibility for your emotions. Themes existentialism responsibility freedom self-awareness Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - therapy - conflict resolution - decision making - leadership training Key Concepts philosophy psychology personal agency Questions to Reflect On - What emotions do you attribute to others versus yourself? - How does recognizing personal responsibility affect your actions? A Different Perspective External circumstances still influence emotions; total autonomy is unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“It's senseless to think of complaining, since nothing foreign has decided what we feel, what we live, or what we are .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/it-s-senseless-to-think-of-complaining-since-nothing-foreign-has/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [My government, you can be assured, will be less focused on personalities. It is about treating people with respect. I think complaining about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-weatherill/my-government-you-can-be-assured-will-be-less-focused-on/) [Jay Weatherill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-weatherill/) > [We have all been guilty of complaining, but God does not look at it as lightly as we may think. Complaining was the reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-johnson/we-have-all-been-guilty-of-complaining-but-god-does-not-look-at-it-as/) [Monica Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-johnson/) > [“Think about it, she’s complaining because she misses him and wants to be with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-stosny/think-about-it-she-s-complaining-because-she-misses-him-and-wants-to/) [Steven Stosny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-stosny/) > [“Is it any wonder that war is senseless? It’s started by politicians. As a class, politicians have no class, and even less sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/is-it-any-wonder-that-war-is-senseless-it-s-started-by-politicians-as/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Whenever you are angry, take a beautiful object in your house and smash it to pieces. The pity you feel for what you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/whenever-you-are-angry-take-a-beautiful-object-in-your-house-and/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [The senseless killing of 20 children and their teachers and principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School was not part of God's grand plan. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hamilton/the-senseless-killing-of-20-children-and-their-teachers-and-principal/) [Adam Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hamilton/) > [“The elimination of profit, whatever methods may be resorted to for its execution, must transform society into a senseless jumble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-elimination-of-profit-whatever-methods-may-be-resorted-to-for-its/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [“(it was) beautiful, like so many senseless things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-barbey-d-aurevilly/it-was-beautiful-like-so-many-senseless-things/) [Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-barbey-d-aurevilly/) > [A little warning would’ve been nice. 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Life doesn’t explain itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-meyer/everything-s-senseless-until-someone-makes-sense-of-it-life-doesn-t/) [Scott Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-meyer/) ## More by Jean-Paul Sartre > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“she has suddenly emptied herself of me, and all other consciousness in the world has also emptied itself of me. It seems funny. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-has-suddenly-emptied-herself-of-me-and-all-other-consciousness-in/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [ \[Stéphane Mallarmé\] theory of the hermetic is a mistake, but he can be only difficult to read when he has difficult things to say. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/st-phane-mallarm-theory-of-the-hermetic-is-a-mistake-but-he-can-be/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I can always choose, but I ought to know that if I do not choose, I am still choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-can-always-choose-but-i-ought-to-know-that-if-i-do-not-choose-i-am/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/when-the-rich-wage-war-it-s-the-poor-who-die/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“She smiled. First I lost the memory of her eyes, then the memory of her long body. 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Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/people-who-are-complaining-about-the-fed-are-people-who-ve-been/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [They have no right to complain! If women were cool with knowing their man is cheating on them then they have no right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/they-have-no-right-to-complain-if-women-were-cool-with-knowing-their/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [“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/) > [Do not complain of life's unfairness. It is never fair - at best it is impartial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/do-not-complain-of-life-s-unfairness-it-is-never-fair-at-best-it-is/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [But if people will laugh at my work and keep a sound roof over my head, who am I to complain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-burke/but-if-people-will-laugh-at-my-work-and-keep-a-sound-roof-over-my/) [Billie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-burke/) > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You shouldn't get to live in society and give nothing back. People complain about their taxes, yet they do nothing for the community. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-turner/you-shouldn-t-get-to-live-in-society-and-give-nothing-back-people/) [Kathleen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-turner/) > [I was so drunk last night I fell down and missed the floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/i-was-so-drunk-last-night-i-fell-down-and-missed-the-floor/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [Once the war began, the government could do anything 'necessary' to win it; so it was with the 'final solution of the Jewish problem,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-mayer/once-the-war-began-the-government-could-do-anything-necessary-to-win/) [Milton Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-mayer/) > [I'll tell you that the dog whistle politics is badly missing the mark. Because, you know, as I've been speaking about it, sure, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naheed-nenshi/i-ll-tell-you-that-the-dog-whistle-politics-is-badly-missing-the-mark/) [Naheed Nenshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naheed-nenshi/) Browse all 1,994 Complaining quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is therefore senseless to think of complaining since nothing foreign has decided what we feel, what we live, or what we are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Paul Sartre" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-complaining-since-nothing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complaining" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-complaining-since-nothing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/jean-paul-sartre-220_complaining_it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-co_2066375.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/jean-paul-sartre-220_complaining_it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-co_2066375.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbf/jean-paul-sartre-220_complaining_it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-co_2066375.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is therefore senseless to think of complaining since nothing foreign has decided what we feel, what we…” — Jean-Paul Sartre", "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": "Jean-Paul Sartre", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is therefore senseless to think...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-complaining-since-nothing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/it-is-therefore-senseless-to-think-of-complaining-since-nothing/#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 } } ] } ```