--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and…" description: "\"Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and the author of Man's Search for Meaning, wrote that human beings create meaning in three ways: thought their wor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/eric-greitens-3611_and-love_viktor-frankl-a-holocaust-survivor-and-t_2456130.png" --- # Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and the author of… ![“Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and the author of Man's Search for Meaning, wrote that human beings create meaning in three ways: thought their work, though their relationships, and by how they choose to meet unavoidable suffering. Every life brings hardship and trial, and every life also…” quote by Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/eric-greitens-3611_and-love_viktor-frankl-a-holocaust-survivor-and-t_2456130.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/eric-greitens-3611_and-love_viktor-frankl-a-holocaust-survivor-and-t_2456130.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/eric-greitens-3611_and-love_viktor-frankl-a-holocaust-survivor-and-t_2456130.png) > “Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and the author of Man's Search for Meaning, wrote that human beings create meaning in three ways: thought their work, though their relationships, and by how they choose to meet unavoidable suffering. Every life brings hardship and trial, and every life also offers deep possibilities for meaningful work and love... I've learned that courage and compassion are two sides of the same coin.” [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human beings find purpose through work, relationships, and the attitude toward suffering; courage and compassion are intertwined. **In simple terms:** We create meaning via work, love, and how we face pain; courage equals compassion. Key Takeaway Embrace work, love, and resilient attitude. Themes purpose resilience compassion courage meaning Mood reflective hopeful determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career challenges - family caregiving - grief counseling - personal setbacks - volunteer service Key Concepts Existential psychology logotherapy humanism Questions to Reflect On - How can you transform suffering into growth? - What relationships nurture your sense of purpose? A Different Perspective Finding meaning may be hindered by trauma or lack of support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Hardship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardship/) [Holocaust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holocaust/) [Holocaust survivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holocaust-survivor/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Man'S Search For Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-s-search-for-meaning/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Meaningful work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful-work/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Search for meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/search-for-meaning/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Survivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivor/) [Trials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trials/) [Two sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-sides/) [Work and love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-and-love/) ## Related quotes > [“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task. —VIKTOR…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-man-actually-needs-is-not-a-tensionless-state-but-rather-the-4/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“The book was called Man’s Search for Meaning by the Jewish author Viktor Frankl. The book had been a real-life story about Viktor Frankl’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-hamre/the-book-was-called-man-s-search-for-meaning-by-the-jewish-author/) [Erik Hamre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-hamre/) > [“Most-gifted or recommended books? Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl The Fourth Turning by William Strauss (Also, Generations by William Strauss, which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/most-gifted-or-recommended-books-man-s-search-for-meaning-by-viktor/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“Who are we to say getting incested or abused or violated or any of those things can’t have their positive aspects in the long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/who-are-we-to-say-getting-incested-or-abused-or-violated-or-any-of/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“The existential vacuum manifests itself mainly in a state of boredom. —VIKTOR FRANKL, Auschwitz survivor and founder of Logotherapy, Man’s Search for Meaning”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/the-existential-vacuum-manifests-itself-mainly-in-a-state-of-boredom-2/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“I went into Grace’s den and picked up a book I’d bought from Amazon, Man’s Search for Meaning. 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Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-j-williams/) > [“One of the credos of my life is taken from Viktor Frankl, a Jewish survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who was a psychiatrist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/one-of-the-credos-of-my-life-is-taken-from-viktor-frankl-a-jewish/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“When we are no longer able to change a situation,” psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl observed, “we are challenged to change ourselves.” After”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-we-are-no-longer-able-to-change-a-situation-psychiatrist-and/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I believe that you have to live a life that involves both courage and compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/i-believe-that-you-have-to-live-a-life-that-involves-both-courage-and/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) > [As warriors, as humanitarians, they've taught me that without courage, compassion falters, and that without compassion, courage has no direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/as-warriors-as-humanitarians-they-ve-taught-me-that-without-courage/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) > [I've learned that courage and compassion are two sides of the same coin, and that every warrior, every humanitarian, every citizen is built to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/i-ve-learned-that-courage-and-compassion-are-two-sides-of-the-same/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) > [“Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him-mentally and spiritually. 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