--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One evening, when we were already resting…" description: "\"One evening, when we were already resting on the floor of our hut, dead tired, soup bowls in hand, a fellow prisoner rushed in and asked us to run out ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/viktor-e-frankl-668_alive_one-evening-when-we-were-already-resting_1431857.jpg" --- # One evening, when we were already resting on the floor of… ![“One evening, when we were already resting on the floor of our hut, dead tired, soup bowls in hand, a fellow prisoner rushed in and asked us to run out to the assembly grounds and see the wonderful sunset. Standing outside we saw sinister clouds glowing in the west and the whole sky alive with…” quote by Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/viktor-e-frankl-668_alive_one-evening-when-we-were-already-resting_1431857.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/viktor-e-frankl-668_alive_one-evening-when-we-were-already-resting_1431857.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/viktor-e-frankl-668_alive_one-evening-when-we-were-already-resting_1431857.jpg) > “One evening, when we were already resting on the floor of our hut, dead tired, soup bowls in hand, a fellow prisoner rushed in and asked us to run out to the assembly grounds and see the wonderful sunset. Standing outside we saw sinister clouds glowing in the west and the whole sky alive with clouds of ever-changing shapes and colors, from steel blue to blood red. The desolate grey mud huts provided a sharp contrast, while the puddles on the muddy ground reflected the glowing sky. Then, after minutes of moving silence, one prisoner said to another, "How beautiful the world could be...” [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. Even in dire, exhausting conditions, moments of natural beauty can awaken hope and remind us of life's richness. **In simple terms:** Beauty can appear even in hardship. Key Takeaway Seek moments of wonder despite suffering. Themes hope beauty resilience Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - prison camp - war zones - refugee camps - mental health therapy Key Concepts existential meaning perception nature Questions to Reflect On - How can we cultivate appreciation for beauty in daily struggle? - What role does awe play in coping with adversity? A Different Perspective Such moments may be fleeting and can be romanticized, overlooking ongoing trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Assembly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assembly/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood/) [Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Clouds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clouds/) [Clouds Glowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clouds-glowing-5099677/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Contrast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrast/) [Evening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evening/) [Glowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glowing/) [Glowing Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glowing-sky-2074418/) [Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grey/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Mud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mud/) [Prisoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoner/) [Prisoner Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoner-said-1502190/) [Puddles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puddles/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Sinister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinister/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Soup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soup/) [Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing/) [Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steel/) [Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunset/) [Sunsets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunsets/) [Tired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tired/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Wonderful Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful-sunset-5099678/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“O sky above me, you modest, glowing sky! O you, my happiness before sunrise! Day is coming: so let us part!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/o-sky-above-me-you-modest-glowing-sky-o-you-my-happiness-before/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Seven years? By yourself?... you're a prisoner," said Thorne. "I prefer damsel in distress," she murmured.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/seven-years-by-yourself-you-re-a-prisoner-said-thorne-i-prefer-damsel/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [“There was a prisoner, I said, in the first cell of the second passage. A fair-haired girl, quite young, quite handsome. What did Miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/there-was-a-prisoner-i-said-in-the-first-cell-of-the-second-passage-a/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [“A child born in hell,” the white-haired prisoner said. “A child forged by suffering. Hardened by pain.” He shook his head sadly at Bruce.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-cox/a-child-born-in-hell-the-white-haired-prisoner-said-a-child-forged-by/) [Greg Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-cox/) > [“When Obama was elected president, a prisoner said “one black man in the White House doesn’t make up for one million black men in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-y-davis/when-obama-was-elected-president-a-prisoner-said-one-black-man-in-the/) [Angela Y. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-y-davis/) > [“His voice was so faint that it was audible only to those in the first rows. “I haven’t got much to say, only that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-tilley/his-voice-was-so-faint-that-it-was-audible-only-to-those-in-the-first/) [Kimberly Tilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-tilley/) > [It's not the sea that drowns you-it's the puddle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-s-not-the-sea-that-drowns-you-it-s-the-puddle/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Joy is to fun what the deep sea is to a puddle. It’s a feeling inside that can hardly be contained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/joy-is-to-fun-what-the-deep-sea-is-to-a-puddle-it-s-a-feeling-inside/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [We may not be able to prevent the stormy times in our lives, but we can always dance in the puddles!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/we-may-not-be-able-to-prevent-the-stormy-times-in-our-lives-but-we/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [“Call me crazy, but there is something terribly wrong with this city.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-reese-maher/call-me-crazy-but-there-is-something-terribly-wrong-with-this-city/) [Nathan Reese Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-reese-maher/) > [Photos are profound because they have such short lives. They are more like fingerprints, dead leaves, rain puddles, or the corpses of flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/photos-are-profound-because-they-have-such-short-lives-they-are-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sojourner-truth/that-man-over-there-says-that-women-need-to-be-helped-into-carriages/) [Sojourner Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sojourner-truth/) > [Never forget that the subject is as important as your feeling; the mud puddle itself is as important as your pleasure in looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-worth/never-forget-that-the-subject-is-as-important-as-your-feeling-the-mud/) [Valerie Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-worth/) > [If they projected the fact that they are dangerous any harder, there would be little puddles of "danger" on the floor around them. Look,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/if-they-projected-the-fact-that-they-are-dangerous-any-harder-there/) [Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/) > [Making a movie and not directing the little moments is like drinking a soda and leaving the little slurp puddle for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/making-a-movie-and-not-directing-the-little-moments-is-like-drinking/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) ## 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 Alive quotes > [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/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One evening, when we were already resting on the floor of our hut, dead tired, soup bowls in hand, a fellow prisoner rushed in and asked us to run out to the assembly grounds and see the wonderful sunset. Standing outside we saw sinister clouds glowing in the west and the whole sky alive with clouds of ever-changing shapes and colors, from steel blue to blood red. The desolate grey mud huts provided a sharp contrast, while the puddles on the muddy ground reflected the glowing sky. 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