“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how.'”
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing . . . to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
“Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of sacrifice.”
“The world is in a bad state, but all will become even worse unless each of us does his best.”
“Life is not a quest for pleasure, or for power, but a quest for meaning.”
“The greatest task for any person is to find the meaning of his or her life.”
“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”
“Live as though you are living a second time, and as though you had acted wrongly the first time.”
“Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human.”
“Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.”
“Each man is questioned by life . . . to life, he can only respond by being responsible.”
“The point is not what we expect from life, but what life expects from us.”
“There is nothing . . . that helps one survive the worst conditions as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one’s life.”
“No man should judge unless he asks himself . . . whether in a similar situation, he might not have done the same.”
“You don’t create your mission in life . . . you detect it.”
“A man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but remember that it was HE who has asked.”
“Decisions, not conditions, determine what a man is.”
“Life ultimately means . . . to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.”
“Success is total self-acceptance.”
“Every human being has the freedom to change at any instant.”
“When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, his unique opportunity lies in the way he bears his burden.”
About Viktor Frankl
Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who is best known for his work as a Holocaust survivor, the development of his theory of logotherapy, and his influence on modern Stoic philosophy.
Frankl was born in Vienna, Austria in 1905. He studied medicine at the University of Vienna and, after completing his studies, worked as a neurologist and psychiatrist.
During World War II, Frankl was arrested and deported to the Nazi concentration camps. He spent three years in various camps, including Auschwitz, where he lost his wife, parents, and brother.
Despite the unimaginable suffering he experienced during this time, Frankl refused to give up hope. He believed that even in the darkest of times, people have the ability to find meaning and purpose in their lives.
This belief became the basis for his theory of logotherapy, which focuses on the importance of finding meaning and purpose in life. According to Frankl, this is the key to overcoming suffering and achieving personal growth.
After the war, Frankl returned to Vienna and continued to work as a psychiatrist. He published several books, including his most famous work, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” which details his experiences in the concentration camps and his theories on logotherapy.
Frankl’s work had a profound impact on the field of psychology and Stoicism, and continues to be studied and discussed today. He passed away in 1997, but his legacy lives on through his groundbreaking theories and his inspiring story of survival and hope.