Even when we seek advice, it is we who choose who to ask.
-Sartre on the boundedness of self-correcting systems :p
This seems to be a very loose paraphrase of Sartre drawn from the Squashed Philosophy paraphrase of "Existentialism is a Humanism":
...What, then, is "existentialism"? Existentialists, be they Christians or atheists (like myself) believe that existence comes before essence- that we must begin with the subjective. A manufactured object, say a paper knife, is made to serve a purpose. For us, our existence comes first, we have each our own Project; to choose our own purpose, and in doing so to choose an image for all to follow. Existentialis
Another month, another rationality quotes thread. The rules are: