Full Idea
When a young man must choose between his bereft mother and the French Resistance, Sartre says no moral theory is capable of resolving the dilemma; the man must act on his own, and in the process define his moral character.
Gist of Idea
When a man must choose between his mother and the Resistance, no theory can help
Source
report of Jean-Paul Sartre (Existentialism and Humanism [1945], p.35-9) by Robert Fogelin - Walking the Tightrope of Reason Ch.2
Book Reference
Fogelin,Robert: 'Walking the Tightrope of Reason' [OUP 2004], p.61
A Reaction
Fogelin agrees, but rejects Sartre's claim that all morality is like this. I agree with Fogelin. However, what I like is the idea of 'defining one's moral character' by choices, but that is because it endorses the views of Aristotle (e.g. Idea 4394).
Related Idea
Idea 4394 People develop their characters through the activities they pursue [Aristotle]