--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had wanted simply to convey to the…" description: "\"I had wanted simply to convey to the reader by way of concrete example that life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserabl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/viktor-e-frankl-668_book_i-had-wanted-simply-to-convey-to-the-rea_2105035.jpg" --- # I had wanted simply to convey to the reader by way of… ![“I had wanted simply to convey to the reader by way of concrete example that life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones. And I thought that if the point were demonstrated in a situation as extreme as that in a concentration camp, my book might gain a hearing…” quote by Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/viktor-e-frankl-668_book_i-had-wanted-simply-to-convey-to-the-rea_2105035.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/viktor-e-frankl-668_book_i-had-wanted-simply-to-convey-to-the-rea_2105035.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/viktor-e-frankl-668_book_i-had-wanted-simply-to-convey-to-the-rea_2105035.jpg) > “I had wanted simply to convey to the reader by way of concrete example that life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones. And I thought that if the point were demonstrated in a situation as extreme as that in a concentration camp, my book might gain a hearing. I therefore felt responsible for writing down what I had gone through, for I thought it might be helpful to people who are prone to despair.” [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. The author writes to illustrate that even in the most dire circumstances, like a concentration camp, life can hold purpose, hoping his account will help those in despair. **In simple terms:** Life can have purpose even in the worst situations. Key Takeaway Share stories of meaning to inspire the hopeless. Themes meaning hope despair responsibility literature Mood hopeful inspirational Type psychological educational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - support groups - educational curricula - personal journaling Key Concepts logotherapy existential psychology survivor testimony Questions to Reflect On - How can personal meaning coexist with social responsibility? - What role does storytelling play in healing? A Different Perspective The focus on meaning may overlook systemic factors that cause suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Concentration camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I digress a lot - it's how I experience the world. I would like to write in a way that will convey that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-digress-a-lot-it-s-how-i-experience-the-world-i-would-like-to-write/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“There is much wisdom in the words of Nietzsche: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/there-is-much-wisdom-in-the-words-of-nietzsche-he-who-has-a-why-to/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [ \[Speaking of his experience in a concentration camp:\] As we said before, any attempt to restore a man's inner strength in the camp had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/speaking-of-his-experience-in-a-concentration-camp-as-we-said-before/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“It is well known that humor, more than anything else in the human make-up, can afford an aloofness and an ability to rise above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/it-is-well-known-that-humor-more-than-anything-else-in-the-human-make/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“In the concentration camps...we watched and witnessed some of our comrades behave like swine while others behaved like saints. Man has both potentialities within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/in-the-concentration-camps-we-watched-and-witnessed-some-of-our/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [When I was taken to the concentration camp of Auschwitz, a manuscript of mine ready for publication was confiscated. Certainly, my deep desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/when-i-was-taken-to-the-concentration-camp-of-auschwitz-a-manuscript/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“In the concentration camps, for example, in this living laboratory and on this testing ground, we watched and witnessed some of our comrades behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/in-the-concentration-camps-for-example-in-this-living-laboratory-and/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/we-who-lived-in-concentration-camps-can-remember-the-men-who-walked/) [Viktor E. 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Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him-mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/fundamentally-therefore-any-man-can-even-under-such-circumstances/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“The story of the young woman whose death I witnessed in a concentration camp. It is a simple story. There is little to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/the-story-of-the-young-woman-whose-death-i-witnessed-in-a/) [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/) > [“THIS BOOK DOES not claim to be an account of facts and events but of personal experiences, experiences which millions of prisoners have suffered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/this-book-does-not-claim-to-be-an-account-of-facts-and-events-but-of/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) ## 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. 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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 Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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