# You are defined by your actions As Sartre wrote: > Existence precedes essence. I believe you are defined by the actions you have done until now. Change requires action, and you will only become someone different through the alteration of your habits or your behavior. It is not enough to change your mindset, although it can be a good starting point. Do not be deceived by the [[Toolbox fallacy]]: everyone has the potential to improve, as long as they are willing to pour the required effort. One might argue that it is easy to make such a claim when one is born in a developed country and always had their needs covered. While it is a fair argument, Sartre also wrote: > Man is condemned to be free. > Freedom is what we do with what is done to us. Those beautiful quotes assert how freedom is both a blessing and a curse: you are responsible for both the good and the evil that you do. No matter what your starting circumstances are, in the end, what matters is what you choose to do with the life you have been given. ## 🔍 See also - [[@sartreExistentialismeEstHumanisme1996|L'existentialisme est un humanisme]] - [[@philosophiestvCharlesPepinRencontre2023|Charles Pépin - La rencontre, une expérience de l'Autre]]