Victor Frankl Quotes

A collection of quotes by Victor Frankl.

Victor Frankl (1905 - 1997) was an Austrian psychiatrist, neurologist, and Holocaust survivor. He was born in Vienna and quickly developed an interest in psychology during his teenage years. Frankl went on to study medicine at the University of Vienna, specializing in neurology and psychiatry.

Shortly after completing his studies, World War II broke out, and Frankl, being Jewish, was subjected to persecution by the Nazi regime. He was transported to various concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Dachau, where he endured extreme physical and psychological suffering.

It was during his horrendous experience in the concentration camps that Frankl developed his theory of logotherapy. This school of psychotherapy posits that individuals can create meaning and purpose in life even in the face of extreme adversity. Frankl believed that finding meaning was crucial for survival, and his own experiences in the Holocaust greatly influenced his ideas.

After the war, Frankl wrote his seminal work, "Man's Search for Meaning," which details his experiences in the concentration camps and explores his philosophy on finding meaning in life. The book became an international bestseller and established Frankl as a renowned psychiatrist and author.

Throughout his career, Victor Frankl continued to develop his ideas on logotherapy and existential analysis. He taught at universities and delivered lectures worldwide, imparting his wisdom on finding meaning and purpose in life. Through his work, Frankl left a profound impact on the field of psychology and inspired countless individuals to overcome adversity and search for meaning amidst life's challenges.

The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitudes.

The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitudes.

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances - to choose one's own way.

Man's Search for meaning is the primary motivation in his li

Man's Search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a 'secondary rationalization' of instinctual drives. This meaning is unique and specific in that it must and can be fulfilled by him alone; only then does it achieve a significance which will satisfy his own will to meaning... Man, however, is able to live and even to die for the sake of his ideals and values!

A human being is a deciding being.

A human being is a deciding being.

I recommend that the Statue of Liberty be supplemented by a

I recommend that the Statue of Liberty be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast.

Just as a small fire is extinguished by the storm whereas a

Just as a small fire is extinguished by the storm whereas a large fire is enhanced by it-likewise a weak faith is weakened by predicament and catastrophes whereas a strong faith is strengthened by them.

Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of

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 meanin

Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.

What is to give light must endure the burning.

What is to give light must endure the burning.

If architects want to strengthen a decrepit arch, they incre

If architects want to strengthen a decrepit arch, they increase the load that 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.

For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to

For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment.

Only to the extent that someone is living out this self tran

Only to the extent that someone is living out this self transcendence of human existence, is he truly human or does he become his true self. He becomes so, not by concerning himself with his self's actualization, but by forgetting himself and giving himself, overlooking himself and focusing outward.