Home / Quotes / Quote by Viktor E. Frankl

Quote by Viktor E. Frankl

“Man's main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in his life. That is why man is even ready to suffer, on the condition, to be sure, that his suffering has a meaning.”

Book:Man's Search for Meaning

Work

Man's Search for Meaning

This seminal work delves into the author's experiences as a psychiatrist and prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, offering insights into the human capacity for finding meaning and hope amidst extreme suffering. more

Author

Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor E. Frankl was a renowned neurologist and psychologist, born on March 26, 1905, and died on September 2, 1997. He was one of the founders of existential psychology and is known for his experiences in Nazi concentration camps and his book 'Man's Search for Meaning'. more

“But while there were times when I rejoiced in the idea that my sufferings were to be endless, I could not bear them to be without meaning. Now I find hidden somewhere away in my nature something that tells me that nothing in the whole world is meaningless, suffering least of all. That something hidden away in my nature, like a treasure in a field, Is Humility.”

Suffering Self Realization Humilty

Book:De Profundis

Source: De Profundis

“Men have true freedom only if they are indifferent to the past and the future. As soon as they regret or expect, there’s attachment and suffering.”

Men Inspirational Wisdom Past Suffering Freedom Future Indifferent

Author:Maxime Lagacé

“Disaster on an unfathomable scale is always taking place on Earth. Countless instances of extreme suffering are occurring in this moment — right now. Yet because this suffering is so normal and ordinary, simply occurring every day, distributed rather evenly over time and space, it seems less evocative and urgent than the more unusual, more localized disasters, such as school shootings and earthquakes. Almost all the suffering that occurs on Earth can be considered baseline horror, which allows us to ignore it. We simply do not feel the ever-present emergency that surrounds us.”

Happiness Suffering Ethics Veganism Planet Suffering Focused Ethics

Book:Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications

Source: Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications

“I looked more widely around me. I looked at the lives of the multitudes who have lived in the past and who live today. And of those who understood the meaning of life I saw not two, or three, or ten, but hundreds, thousands and millions. And all of them, endlessly varied in their customs, minds, educations and positions, and in complete contrast to my ignorance, knew the meaning of life and death, endured suffering and hardship, lived and died and saw this not as vanity but good.”