It is here that we encounter the central theme of existentialism: to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the suffering. Viktor E. Frankl More Quotes by Viktor E. Frankl More Quotes From Viktor E. Frankl We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: 1. by doing a deed; 2. by experiencing a value; and 3. by suffering. Viktor E. Frankl differentsufferinglife Love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Viktor E. Frankl love-ismenlife You can take away my wife, you can take away my children, you can strip me of my clothes and my freedom, but there is one thing no person can ever take away from me - and that is my freedom to choose how I will react to what happens to me! Viktor E. Frankl clotheswifechildren The last freedom is choosing your attitude. Viktor E. Frankl lastsattitude The salvation of man is through love and in love. Viktor E. Frankl lovemenlife Pain is only bearable if we know it will end, not if we deny it exists. Viktor E. Frankl remembrancedenypain Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual. Viktor E. Frankl growthresponsibilitymean Man is not fully conditioned and determined but rather determines himself whether he gives in to conditions or stands up to them. Viktor E. Frankl determinedgivingmen Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. Viktor E. Frankl stimulus-and-responsemans-search-for-meaningchaos Ultimately, we are not subject to the conditions that confront us; rather, these conditions are subject to our decision ... we must decide whether we will face up or give in, whether or not we will let ourselves be determined by the conditions. Viktor E. Frankl decisionfacesgiving The meaning of our existence is not invented by ourselves, but rather detected. Viktor E. Frankl mans-search-for-meaningexistence Logotherapy . . . considers man as a being whose main concern consists in fulfilling a meaning and in actualizing values, rather than in the mere gratification and satisfaction of drives and instincts. Viktor E. Frankl instinctsatisfactionmen Human kindness can be found in all groups, even those which as a whole it would be easy to condemn. Viktor E. Frankl groupswould-bekindness The last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. Viktor E. Frankl inspiringmotivationallife Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake. Viktor E. Frankl stakespoliticsmen Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant. Viktor E. Frankl nextdoemen If architects want to strengthen a decrepit arch, they increase the load which is laid upon it, for thereby the parts are joined more firmly together. So if therapists wish to foster their patients' mental health, they should not be afraid to increase that load through a reorientation toward the meaning of one's life. Viktor E. Frankl inspirational-lifewishtogether It said to me, 'I am here — I am here — I am life, eternal life.' Viktor E. Frankl eternal-lifehere-i-amsaid As for the concept of collective guilt, I personally think that it is totally unjustified to hold one person responsible for the behavior of another person or a collective of persons. Viktor E. Frankl behaviorguiltthinking I had wanted simply to convey to the reader by way of concrete example that life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones. And I thought that if the point were demonstrated in a situation as extreme as that in a concentration camp, my book might gain a hearing. I therefore felt responsible for writing down what I had gone through, for I thought it might be helpful to people who are prone to despair. Viktor E. Frankl writinglifebook
