The point is not what we expect from life, but rather what life expects from us. Viktor E. Frankl More Quotes by Viktor E. Frankl More Quotes From Viktor E. Frankl Fear may come true that which one is afraid of. Viktor E. Frankl fearmay [Speaking of his experience in a concentration camp:] As we said before, any attempt to restore a man's inner strength in the camp had first to succeed in showing him some future goal...Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on. He was soon lost. Viktor E. Frankl inner-strengthgoalmen The last of human freedoms - the ability to chose one's attitude especially an attitude of gratitude in a given set of circumstances especially in difficult circumstances. Viktor E. Frankl gratitudelastsattitude To the European, it is a characteristic of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to 'be happy.' But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to 'be happy.' Once the reason is found, however, one becomes happy automatically. As we see, a human being is not one in pursuit of happiness but rather in search of a reason to become happy, last but not least, through actualizing the potential meaning inherent and dormant in a given situation. Viktor E. Frankl pursuit-of-happinesslastsculture When we are not any lengthier capable to alter a predicament, we're challenged to alter ourselves Viktor E. Frankl predicamentscapable What you have experienced, no power on earth can take from you. Viktor E. Frankl mans-search-for-meaningearth Most men in a concentration camp believed that the real opportunities of life had passed. Yet, in reality, there was an opportunity and a challenge. One could make a victory of those experiences, turning life into an inner triumph, or one could ignore the challenge and simply vegetate, as did a majority of the prisoners. Viktor E. Frankl realattitudelife Success is total self-acceptance. Viktor E. Frankl self-acceptanceacceptanceself Even though conditions such as lack of sleep, insufficient food and various mental stresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to react in certain ways, in the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision, and not the result of camp influences alone. Viktor E. Frankl stressdecisionsleep It is the pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness. Viktor E. Frankl pursuitpursuit-of-happinesshappiness As such, I also bear witness to the unexpected extent to which man is capable of defying and braving even the worst conditions conceivable. Viktor E. Frankl neurologybearsmen Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him—mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp. Viktor E. Frankl dignitymaymen . . . nothing could touch the strength of my love, and the thoughts of my beloved. Had I known then that my wife was dead, I think that I still would have given myself, undisturbed by that knowledge, to the contemplation of that image, and that my mental conversation with her would have been just as vivid and just as satisfying. "Set me like a seal upon thy heart, love is as strong as death." Viktor E. Frankl strongheartlove-is A human being is not one thing among others; things determine each other, but man is ultimately self-determining. What he becomes-within the limits of endowment and environment-he has made out of himself. Viktor E. Frankl limitsselfmen Sleep [is like] a dove which has landed near one's hand and stays there as long as one does not pay any attention to it. Viktor E. Frankl sleeplonghands It is well known that humor, more than anything else in the human make-up, can afford an aloofness and an ability to rise above any situation, even if only for a few seconds. Viktor E. Frankl life-alteringwell-knownrise-above The struggle for existence is a struggle 'for' something; it is purposeful and only in so being is it meaningful and able to bring meaning into life. Viktor E. Frankl ablestrugglemeaningful It is a peculiarity of man that he can only live by looking to the future. Viktor E. Frankl mans-search-for-meaninglooking-to-the-futuremen The incurable sufferer is given very little opportunity to be proud of his suffering and to consider it ennobling rather than degrading" so that "he is not only unhappy, but also ashamed of being unhappy. Viktor E. Frankl unhappysufferingopportunity A sound philosophy of life, I think, may be the most valuable asset for a psychiatrist to have when he is treating a patient. Viktor E. Frankl mentorphilosophythinking
