--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An active life serves the purpose of…" description: "\"“An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/viktor-e-frankl-668_active_an-active-life-serves-the-purpose-of-giv_756942.jpg" --- # An active life serves the purpose of giving man the… ![“An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing beauty, art, or nature.” quote by Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/viktor-e-frankl-668_active_an-active-life-serves-the-purpose-of-giv_756942.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/viktor-e-frankl-668_active_an-active-life-serves-the-purpose-of-giv_756942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/viktor-e-frankl-668_active_an-active-life-serves-the-purpose-of-giv_756942.jpg) > ““An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing beauty, art, or nature.”” [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Active engagement in creative work lets people express values, while passive enjoyment of beauty offers fulfillment through aesthetic experience. **In simple terms:** Work creates meaning; beauty gives joy. Key Takeaway Pursue purposeful action and savor beauty. Themes purpose creativity fulfillment balance Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career projects - art appreciation - nature walks - volunteer work Key Concepts meaning aesthetic experience psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What creative values drive you? - How do you integrate beauty into daily life? A Different Perspective Passive enjoyment may become escapism if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Active life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active-life/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Creative work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-work/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Why do so many people do nothing? I think it’s because most of us look at the evils and injustice around us, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/why-do-so-many-people-do-nothing-i-think-it-s-because-most-of-us-look/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“Be fueled by the opportunities of today. Do not be passive in your life. Be courageous in driving forward in this journey of life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/be-fueled-by-the-opportunities-of-today-do-not-be-passive-in-your/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [“I hate that I let myself be so passive my whole life, and I see now how differently things could've been if I'd had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-hate-that-i-let-myself-be-so-passive-my-whole-life-and-i-see-now/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [Judaism is not a passive religion, but an active life factor which has coalesced with the national consciousness into one organic whole. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-hess/judaism-is-not-a-passive-religion-but-an-active-life-factor-which-has/) [Moses Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-hess/) > [Society is the true sphere of human virtue. In social, active life, difficulties will perpetually be met with; restraints of many kinds will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-carter/society-is-the-true-sphere-of-human-virtue-in-social-active-life/) Elizabeth Carter > [I'm lucky enough to lead a very active life, so I'm always on the go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-lively/i-m-lucky-enough-to-lead-a-very-active-life-so-i-m-always-on-the-go/) [Blake Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-lively/) > [In the active life all the vices are first of all to be removed by the practice of good works, so that in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isidore-of-seville/in-the-active-life-all-the-vices-are-first-of-all-to-be-removed-by/) [Isidore of Seville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isidore-of-seville/) > [Our most emotionally active life is lived in our dreams, and our cells renew themselves most industriously in sleep. We reach highest in meditation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-bernstein/our-most-emotionally-active-life-is-lived-in-our-dreams-and-our-cells/) [Leonard Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-bernstein/) > [An impression which simply flows in at the pupil's eyes or ears and in no way modifies his active life, is an impression gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/an-impression-which-simply-flows-in-at-the-pupil-s-eyes-or-ears-and/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There is an indescribable something that ties us to life. For this purpose, it is not necessary that we should be happy. Though our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/there-is-an-indescribable-something-that-ties-us-to-life-for-this/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [“If there's no challenge in your life, then there's no enjoyment in your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tian-ph-d/if-there-s-no-challenge-in-your-life-then-there-s-no-enjoyment-in/) David Tian Ph.D > [If only I had more money is the easiest way to postpone the intense self-examination and decision-making necessary to create a life of enjoyment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/if-only-i-had-more-money-is-the-easiest-way-to-postpone-the-intense/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [Life is the enjoyment of emotion, derived from the past and aimed at the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/life-is-the-enjoyment-of-emotion-derived-from-the-past-and-aimed-at/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Part of life and part of the enjoyment of life is a croissant and a chocolate cake and eggs and milkshakes and oatmeal. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-dobrev/part-of-life-and-part-of-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-a-croissant-and-a/) [Nina Dobrev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-dobrev/) > [The more I'm committed to finding a way to genuinely be immersed in someone else's life, the more enjoyment there is in it. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-friend/the-more-i-m-committed-to-finding-a-way-to-genuinely-be-immersed-in/) [Rupert Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-friend/) ## More by Viktor E. Frankl > [For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/for-the-meaning-of-life-differs-from-man-to-man-from-day-to-day-and/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“In the past, nothing is irretrievably lost, but rather, on the contrary, everything is irrevocably stored and treasured. To be sure, people tend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/in-the-past-nothing-is-irretrievably-lost-but-rather-on-the-contrary/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer... his unique opportunity lies in the way he bears his burden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/when-a-man-finds-that-it-is-his-destiny-to-suffer-his-unique/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“A positive attitude enables a person to endure suffering and disappointment as well as enhance enjoyment and satisfaction. A negative attitude intensifies pain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/a-positive-attitude-enables-a-person-to-endure-suffering-and/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“our sacrifice did have a meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/our-sacrifice-did-have-a-meaning/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [Man's last freedom is his freedom to choose how he will react in any given situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/man-s-last-freedom-is-his-freedom-to-choose-how-he-will-react-in-any/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [The more one forgets himself - by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love - the more human he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/the-more-one-forgets-himself-by-giving-himself-to-a-cause-to-serve-or/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/there-is-nothing-in-the-world-i-venture-to-say-that-would-so/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [Man's search for meaning is the chief motivation of his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/man-s-search-for-meaning-is-the-chief-motivation-of-his-life/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [In a last violent protest against the hopelessness of imminent death, I sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom. I felt it transcend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/in-a-last-violent-protest-against-the-hopelessness-of-imminent-death/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/but-happiness-cannot-be-pursued-it-must-ensue/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another one's belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another one's right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-one-s-belief-but-it/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“I think it was Lessing who once said, 'There are things which must cause you to lose your reason or you have none to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/i-think-it-was-lessing-who-once-said-there-are-things-which-must/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“I believe that my handicap will only enhance my ability to help others. I know that without the suffering, the growth that I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/i-believe-that-my-handicap-will-only-enhance-my-ability-to-help/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“He main retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp. Dostoevsky said once, 'There is only one thing that I dread: not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/he-main-retain-his-human-dignity-even-in-a-concentration-camp/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) [Explore all 381 Viktor E. Frankl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) ## More Active quotes > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I eat healthy most of the time. Whole foods are the best for you when you are super active, so I get plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witney-carson/i-eat-healthy-most-of-the-time-whole-foods-are-the-best-for-you-when/) [Witney Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witney-carson/) > [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [I stayed in L.A. long enough to get on my feet, and then I moved back to New York. The reason I moved here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-stayed-in-l-a-long-enough-to-get-on-my-feet-and-then-i-moved-back/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [The answer to any challenge you are having has nothing to do with God's willingness to help. It has to do with your acceptance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/the-answer-to-any-challenge-you-are-having-has-nothing-to-do-with-god/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [Pete Townsend for me was a huge influence. Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/) [Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/) > [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/few-if-any-creatures-are-equally-active-all-night/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [You need to enjoy yourself and just get into the routine of keeping fit and enjoying being active. That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/) [Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/) Browse all 2,212 Active quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing beauty, art, or nature.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viktor E. 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