Everything has been figured out, except how to live.

“Everything has been figured out, except how to live.” – Jean-Paul Sartre

In these piercing words, Jean-Paul Sartre, the philosopher of freedom and the father of existentialism, exposes the central tragedy of modern humanity. We have unraveled the mysteries of the stars, mapped the depths of the oceans, and mastered the forces of nature. We have figured out everything—how to build, how to control, how to calculate—but not how to live. Sartre’s quote is not merely an accusation; it is a lament, a cry from the soul of a thinker who saw humanity surrounded by knowledge yet starving for wisdom. He reminds us that to live is not simply to exist, but to exist with meaning, and that this, despite all progress, remains the unsolved question of our time.

The origin of this thought lies in Sartre’s response to the twentieth century—a time of scientific triumph and moral catastrophe. The world had built machines of wonder and of war, had reached for the moon even as it burned its cities to ash. Sartre, who lived through World War II and witnessed the rise of totalitarianism, saw the contradiction of modern man: enlightened in intellect, but lost in purpose. The tools of survival had advanced, yet the understanding of life’s essence lagged behind. His words were a warning that knowledge without meaning leads only to emptiness—that progress without wisdom is motion without direction.

To know how to live, Sartre believed, was not something that could be handed down by gods or governments. It was a task each person must undertake for themselves. His philosophy of existentialism declared that life has no pre-given purpose; meaning is not found—it is created. We are not born with a map; we must draw it with our choices. This freedom, though glorious, is also terrifying, for it places upon the individual the full weight of their existence. And yet, Sartre insisted, it is only in embracing this freedom—this responsibility to define ourselves—that we truly live.

Consider the story of Siddhartha Gautama, the man who became the Buddha. Born into luxury, he had everything that could make life predictable and easy. But surrounded by comfort, he found no peace. When he encountered suffering, sickness, and death, he left his palace to seek how to live. Through meditation and struggle, he discovered that wisdom lay not in possessions or intellect, but in awakening to the present, in compassion, and in detachment from desire. His journey mirrors Sartre’s insight: the answers to life’s mechanics are easy—the answers to life’s meaning are born only through self-discovery and suffering.

The modern world is filled with those who have mastered their craft but not themselves. We know how to make a living, but not how to make life meaningful. We build faster machines, but our hearts remain restless. We are connected across oceans by technology, yet estranged within our own souls. Sartre’s voice echoes through the ages to remind us that life cannot be automated, and meaning cannot be manufactured. To live well requires not formulas, but depth—to face uncertainty, to act with intention, to love with courage, and to accept our mortality with grace.

And yet, within Sartre’s melancholy there is hope. If how to live remains unsolved, then life itself remains open—an unfinished masterpiece awaiting our hand. This uncertainty is not a curse, but a freedom. Every day offers the chance to create meaning anew—to choose kindness over cruelty, authenticity over pretense, creation over destruction. The art of living, like all art, is not learned through instruction but through practice, through daring, through passion.

So, my child of the thinking age, take this truth to heart: do not mistake knowledge for wisdom, nor motion for meaning. Learn, yes—but live beyond learning. Seek not only to understand the world, but to dwell deeply within it. Do not wait for someone to hand you the secret of living; it is already in your breath, your choices, your love. As Sartre teaches, the question of how to live is not meant to be solved once and for all—it is meant to be lived, each day, as the most beautiful and sacred mystery of them all.