--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To invoke an analogy, consider a movie…" description: "\"“To invoke an analogy, consider a movie: it consists of thousands upon thousands of individual pictures, and each of them makes sense and carries a mea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/viktor-e-frankl-668_analogy_to-invoke-an-analogy-consider-a-movie-it_2891601.jpg" --- # To invoke an analogy, consider a movie: it consists of… ![“To invoke an analogy, consider a movie: it consists of thousands upon thousands of individual pictures, and each of them makes sense and carries a meaning, yet the meaning of the whole film cannot be seen before its last sequence is shown. However, we cannot understand the whole film without…” quote by Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/viktor-e-frankl-668_analogy_to-invoke-an-analogy-consider-a-movie-it_2891601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/viktor-e-frankl-668_analogy_to-invoke-an-analogy-consider-a-movie-it_2891601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a7/viktor-e-frankl-668_analogy_to-invoke-an-analogy-consider-a-movie-it_2891601.jpg) > ““To invoke an analogy, consider a movie: it consists of thousands upon thousands of individual pictures, and each of them makes sense and carries a meaning, yet the meaning of the whole film cannot be seen before its last sequence is shown. However, we cannot understand the whole film without having first understood each of its components, each of the individual pictures. Isn’t it the same with life? Doesn’t the final meaning of life, too, reveal itself, if at all, only at its end, on the verge of death? And doesn’t this final meaning, too, depend on whether or not the potential meaning of each single situation has been actualized to the best of the respective individual’s knowledge and belief?”” [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. Life’s ultimate purpose emerges only at the end, but understanding each moment’s meaning is essential to that final revelation. **In simple terms:** Life’s meaning unfolds at death, yet each moment matters. Key Takeaway Seek meaning in every experience. Themes purpose meaning existential life death knowledge Mood reflective philosophical Type inspirational thought‑provoking When to use this quote - personal reflection - career decisions - relationship building - creative projects - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism holistic understanding temporal perspective Questions to Reflect On - How do you find meaning daily? - What role does uncertainty play in your life? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on future meaning can cause anxiety about present actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Analogy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogy/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meaning of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [Consider a movie: it consists of thousands upon thousands of individual pictures, and each of them makes sense and carries a meaning, yet the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/consider-a-movie-it-consists-of-thousands-upon-thousands-of/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) > [“Long ago we had passed the stage of asking what was the meaning of life, a naïve query which understands life as the attaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/long-ago-we-had-passed-the-stage-of-asking-what-was-the-meaning-of-2/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/challenging-the-meaning-of-life-is-the-truest-expression-of-the-state/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/it-did-not-really-matter-what-we-expected-from-life-but-rather-what-2/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/it-did-not-really-matter-what-we-expected-from-life-but-rather-what/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“Long ago we had passed the stage of asking what was the meaning of life, a naïve query which understands life as the attaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/long-ago-we-had-passed-the-stage-of-asking-what-was-the-meaning-of/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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-2/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [“There is always meaning. Or at least all things show a disturbing tendency to have meaning ascribed to them when intelligent creatures are present.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/there-is-always-meaning-or-at-least-all-things-show-a-disturbing/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [And this is the final meaning of work: the extension of human consciousness. The lesser meaning of work is the achieving of self-preservation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/and-this-is-the-final-meaning-of-work-the-extension-of-human/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Going to a movie is a two-hour experience; at $7.50 for a ticket, you are valuing your time at far less than the minimum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-siskel/going-to-a-movie-is-a-two-hour-experience-at-7-50-for-a-ticket-you/) [Gene Siskel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-siskel/) > [There is an amount of abstraction in my movies, and sometimes they don't really understand it until the film is finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/there-is-an-amount-of-abstraction-in-my-movies-and-sometimes-they-don/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [If a celebrity is trying to look size zero for her next flick, you have to understand that it is for a film, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher-mazher50/if-a-celebrity-is-trying-to-look-size-zero-for-her-next-flick-you/) Mazher (@mazher50 > [Director Lee Chang-dong's 1997 noir 'Green Fish.' I was attending middle school when I first watched the piece. And although I could not completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-je-hoon/director-lee-chang-dong-s-1997-noir-green-fish-i-was-attending-middle/) [Lee Je-hoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-je-hoon/) > ['Alemaari' is an experimental cinema of sorts. If audiences don't understand it, the film will fall flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhika-pandit/alemaari-is-an-experimental-cinema-of-sorts-if-audiences-don-t/) [Radhika Pandit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhika-pandit/) ## 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 Analogy quotes > [“One use of the argument from analogy is found in response to the question of what or who created the universe. Some have argued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-klein/one-use-of-the-argument-from-analogy-is-found-in-response-to-the/) [Daniel Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-klein/) > [“Memory in the mind of man can adapt to the worst conditions. I'll give you an example, an analogy of sorts: Each night I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-thurber/memory-in-the-mind-of-man-can-adapt-to-the-worst-conditions-i-ll-give/) [Bob Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-thurber/) > [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One good analogy is worth three hours discussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-good-analogy-is-worth-three-hours-discussion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The nude does not simply represent the body, but relates it, by analogy, to all structures that have become part of our imaginative experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-nude-does-not-simply-represent-the-body-but-relates-it-by-analogy/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“Yeast is to flour as action is to ambition. Rising to success requires adding and alternating starters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/yeast-is-to-flour-as-action-is-to-ambition-rising-to-success-requires/) [Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/) > [“There is a saying: in the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is king. I promptly invented its analogy, based it on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/there-is-a-saying-in-the-kingdom-of-the-blind-the-one-eyed-man-is/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [There is then no analogy whatever between the operations of the Chess-Player, and those of the calculating machine of Mr. Babbage , and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-then-no-analogy-whatever-between-the-operations-of-the-chess/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... The essence of discovery is that unlikely marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-real-achievement-in-discoveries-is-seeing-an-analogy-where-no-one/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The analogy I use is that 'World of Warcraft' is like going to the mall: you see a ton of people there, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-romero/the-analogy-i-use-is-that-world-of-warcraft-is-like-going-to-the-mall/) [John Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-romero/) > [Life is like an analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-allston/life-is-like-an-analogy/) [Aaron Allston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-allston/) > [People sometimes say, "Isn't it boring, isn't it always the same? It's the same lines." I go, "Well, do you play tennis? Because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/people-sometimes-say-isn-t-it-boring-isn-t-it-always-the-same-it-s/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [I do not understand this analogy," Mencheres muttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/i-do-not-understand-this-analogy-mencheres-muttered/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“After Jesus showed up, the Old Testament basically became a way for Bible publishers to keep their word count up. Of course, just because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/after-jesus-showed-up-the-old-testament-basically-became-a-way-for/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) [Browse all 160 Analogy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To invoke an analogy, consider a movie: it consists of thousands upon thousands of individual pictures, and each of them makes sense and carries a meaning, yet the meaning of the whole film cannot be seen before its last sequence is shown. However, we cannot understand the whole film without having first understood each of its components, each of the individual pictures. Isn’t it the same with life? Doesn’t the final meaning of life, too, reveal itself, if at all, only at its end, on the verge of death? 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