How did Jean-Paul Sartre explain the concept that existence precedes essence?

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Jean-Paul Sartre sits at a cafe with a cup of coffee and a notebook, a pipe in his mouth. — Existentialism French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre, known as a founding figure of existentialism, in Paris.

Jean-Paul Sartre's concept of "existence precedes essence" posits that humans are born without a predetermined purpose or nature. Unlike manufactured objects, whose essence (design and function) is conceived before their existence, humans first exist and then, through their choices and actions, define their own essence. Sartre argued that individuals are radically free and entirely responsible for creating their own meaning and values in a meaningless universe. This freedom, however, can lead to anguish and a sense of "bad faith" when individuals try to escape this responsibility by acting as if they were objects with a fixed nature.12