Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.
Viktor E. FranklRead
We had to learn...that it did not really matter what we expected from life but rather what life expected from us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the importance of understanding and fulfilling our responsibilities rather than just focusing on our own expectations.
Viktor E. Frankl's quote suggests that the true essence of life lies not in the expectations we hold, but in embracing and responding to the needs and challenges that life presents to us. It encourages a shift from a self-centered perspective to one that acknowledges our role and obligations in the world around us, fostering a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment.
Themes
ExpectationsResponsibilityLifePerspectivePurpose
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about resilience, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of adaptability.
More from Viktor E. Frankl
All quotes →The crowning experience of all, for the homecoming man, is the wonderful feeling that, after all he has suffered, there is nothing he need fear anymore—except his God.
Viktor E. FranklRead
Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not.
Viktor E. FranklRead
It is the pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.
Viktor E. FranklRead
Logotherapy sees the human patient in all his humanness. I step up to the core of the patient's being. And that is a being in search of meaning, a being that is transcending himself, a being capable of acting in love for others.
Viktor E. FranklRead
The more one forgives himself - by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love - the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself.
Viktor E. FranklRead
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