--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For too long we have been dreaming a…" description: "\"“For too long we have been dreaming a dream from which we are now waking up: the dream that if we just improve the socioeconomic situation of people, e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/victor-frankl-52048_dream_for-too-long-we-have-been-dreaming-a-dre_2308893.jpg" --- # For too long we have been dreaming a dream from which we… ![“For too long we have been dreaming a dream from which we are now waking up: the dream that if we just improve the socioeconomic situation of people, everything will be okay, people will become happy. The truth is that as the struggle for survival has subsided, the question has emerged: survival…” quote by Victor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/victor-frankl-52048_dream_for-too-long-we-have-been-dreaming-a-dre_2308893.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/victor-frankl-52048_dream_for-too-long-we-have-been-dreaming-a-dre_2308893.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/victor-frankl-52048_dream_for-too-long-we-have-been-dreaming-a-dre_2308893.jpg) > ““For too long we have been dreaming a dream from which we are now waking up: the dream that if we just improve the socioeconomic situation of people, everything will be okay, people will become happy. The truth is that as the struggle for survival has subsided, the question has emerged: survival for what? Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for. ... The truth is that man does not live by welfare alone.”” [Victor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-frankl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage critiques the belief that improving material conditions alone brings happiness, arguing that once basic survival is secured, people seek deeper purpose beyond mere welfare. **In simple terms:** Material comfort isn’t enough; purpose matters. Key Takeaway Seek meaning beyond material success. Themes purpose existentialism well‑being Mood inspirational serious Type existential motivational When to use this quote - career - volunteering - creative projects - spiritual practice Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning? - How can society foster purpose? A Different Perspective It may underplay the value of security. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreaming/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Improve Socioeconomic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improve-socioeconomic-5475889/) [Socioeconomic Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socioeconomic-situation-5475888/) [Struggle for survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-for-survival/) [Struggle Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-survival-876540/) [Too long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-long/) ## Related quotes > [In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/in-the-struggle-for-survival-the-fittest-win-out-at-the-expense-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [But nothing less than the most radical imagination will carry us beyond this place, beyond the mere struggle for survival, to that lucid recognition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/but-nothing-less-than-the-most-radical-imagination-will-carry-us/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Conflict is a natural part of existence. Life is a struggle for survival for every organism at every level.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/conflict-is-a-natural-part-of-existence-life-is-a-struggle-for/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Add the shortage of blankets, warm clothing, and vegetables, and the result was likely to be more suffering and more death than had occurred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-levy/add-the-shortage-of-blankets-warm-clothing-and-vegetables-and-the/) [George Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-levy/) > [I didn't take the money route because I saw my parents struggle for survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunachalam-muruganantham/i-didn-t-take-the-money-route-because-i-saw-my-parents-struggle-for/) [Arunachalam Muruganantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunachalam-muruganantham/) > [Reason is the main resource of man in his struggle for survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/reason-is-the-main-resource-of-man-in-his-struggle-for-survival/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [A population weakened and exhausted by battling against so many obstacles - whose needs are never satisfied and desires never fulfilled - is vulnerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/a-population-weakened-and-exhausted-by-battling-against-so-many/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [“I was raised to assume that wealth and rank and privilege would be mine by right," he said painfully. "Through a combination of bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-putney/i-was-raised-to-assume-that-wealth-and-rank-and-privilege-would-be/) [Mary Jo Putney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-putney/) > [The evolutionary struggle for survival is really a self-serving series of blows and stabs, and yet it can lead to extremely social animals like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/the-evolutionary-struggle-for-survival-is-really-a-self-serving/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [If evolution is a struggle for survival, why hasn't it ruthlessly eliminated altruists, who seem to increase another's prospects of survival at the cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/if-evolution-is-a-struggle-for-survival-why-hasn-t-it-ruthlessly/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Jealousy, which serves the struggle for survival, can deteriorate into the envy which draws defeat even from victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-gaylin/jealousy-which-serves-the-struggle-for-survival-can-deteriorate-into/) [Willard Gaylin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-gaylin/) > [As the struggle for survival has subsided, the question has emerged: survival for what? Ever more people have the means to live, but no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-struggle-for-survival-has-subsided-the-question-has-emerged/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Ah, Robert?” “Shhhh, not while I’m praying,” he said, momentarily losing his place before he started again, “thank you for letting us survive that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-mathewson/ah-robert-shhhh-not-while-i-m-praying-he-said-momentarily-losing-his/) [R.L. Mathewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-mathewson/) > [“Only one thing can allow a business to transcend the daily brute struggle for survival: monopoly profits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/only-one-thing-can-allow-a-business-to-transcend-the-daily-brute/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [The common talk of the struggle for survival has obscured the plain fact that man rose in the world primarily by cooperating, not struggling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-muller/the-common-talk-of-the-struggle-for-survival-has-obscured-the-plain/) [Hermann Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-muller/) ## More by Victor Frankl > [“A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-frankl/a-thought-transfixed-me-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-saw-the-truth-2/) [Victor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-frankl/) > [“the most painful part of the beatings is the insult which they imply.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-frankl/the-most-painful-part-of-the-beatings-is-the-insult-which-they-imply/) [Victor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-frankl/) > [“does a man who makes his observations while he himself is a prisoner possess the necessary detachment? Such detachment is granted to the outsider,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-frankl/does-a-man-who-makes-his-observations-while-he-himself-is-a-prisoner/) [Victor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-frankl/) > [“The last of the human freedoms: to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. And there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-frankl/the-last-of-the-human-freedoms-to-choose-one-s-attitude-in-any-given/) [Victor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-frankl/) > [“Man's search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life...This meaning is unique and specific in that is must and can be fulfilled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-frankl/man-s-search-for-meaning-is-the-primary-motivation-in-his-life-this/) [Victor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-frankl/) [Explore all 6 Victor Frankl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-frankl/) ## More Dream quotes > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) [Browse all 26,527 Dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For too long we have been dreaming a dream from which we are now waking up: the dream that if we just improve the socioeconomic situation of people, everything will be okay, people will become happy. The truth is that as the struggle for survival has subsided, the question has emerged: survival for what? Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for. ... 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