Jean-Paul Sartre wrote, "Man is condemned to be free. Condemned because he did not create himself, (but) once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does." Irvin Yalom asked, "How does a being who needs meaning find meaning in a meaningless universe?" Sartre and Yalom are two of nine philosophers featured in this introduction to existentialism. Written in user-friendly, unambiguous language, Mere Existentialism provides a rudimentary understanding of this philosophical school of thought.