Viktor E. Frankl Quotes

173 quotes in 2114 categories

• Humor was another of the soul's weapons in the fight for self-preservation.
• Now, it is my contention that the deneuroticization of humanity requires a rehumanization of psychotherapy.
• Those who know how close the connection is between the state of mind of a man-his courage and hope, or lack of them-and the state…
• Happiness cannot be attained by wanting to be happy - it must come as the unintended consequence of working for a goal greater than oneself.
• Man's inner strength may raise him above his outward faith.
• Everywhere man is confronted with fate , with a chance of achieving something through his own suffering.
• No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being until he loves him. By his love he is enabled to…
• 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…
• [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…
• The one thing you can't take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of…
• 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…
• Pain from problems and disappointments, etc., is inevitable in life, but suffering is a choice determined by whether you choose to compare your experience and…
• Pain is only bearable if we know it will end, not if we deny it exists.
• A sound philosophy of life, I think, may be the most valuable asset for a psychiatrist to have when he is treating a patient.
• Despair is suffering without meaning.
• I would say that our patients never really despair because of any suffering in itself! Instead, their despair stems in each instance from a doubt…
• It is true that we can see the therapist as a technician only if we have first viewed the patient as some sort of machine.
• These tasks, and therefore the meaning of life, differ from man to man, and from moment to moment. Thus it is impossible to define the…
• Ultimate freedom is a man's right to choose his attitude.
• In a last violent protest against the hopelessness of imminent death, I sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom. I felt it transcend that…

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