Long run Quote by Viktor E. Frankl
““Again and again I therefore admonish my students both in Europe and in America: “Don’t aim at success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long run—in the long run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think of it.” The””
About This Quote
Source Lecture: "The Will to Meaning", 1960
Success and happiness arise when not pursued directly but as by‑effects of purpose.
In simple terms: Focus on purpose, not outcomes.
Key Takeaway
Serve a cause larger than self.
Themes
purpose
success
happiness
non‑attachment
Mood
inspirational
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- goal setting
- mindful work
- service orientation
Key Concepts
existential psychology
meaning
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you align work with purpose?
- What does surrender mean to you?
A Different Perspective
Over‑focus on purpose can cause burnout.
![“[U]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle the apparatus of oppression.” quote by Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d7b/shulamith-firestone-12980_accomplished_u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together_5485.jpg)
