being and messiness

Sartre had shocked quite a few of his classmates when he announced with all sincerity that his ambition was to become the man who knew the most about everything in the world that could be known, which was the excuse for the condition of his room. It was a shambles; overflowing ashtrays tottered on precariously balanced stacks of books that littered the floor. The bed was lumpy and unmade, the sheets were filthy, the desk was a sea of papers, and the walls were plastered with his satirical drawings.