By Viktor E. Frankl

This is one of the most profound books I have ever read.

Don't miss it. Now on book store shelves near you.

Here are some quotes from the book.

On Choosing One's Attitude

"Everything can be taken from a man but ...the last of the human freedoms - to choose
one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." p.104

"There is also purpose in life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man's attitude to his existence, an existence restricted by external forces." p.106


On Committing to Values and Goals

"Logotherapy...considers man as a being whose main concern consists in fulfilling a meaning and in actualizing values, rather than in the mere gratification and satisfaction of drives and instincts." p.164

"What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him." p.166


On Discovering the Meaning of Life

"The meaning of our existence is not invented by ourselves, but rather detected." p.157

"What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general, but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment." p.171

"We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: (1) by doing a deed; (2) by experiencing a value; and (3) by suffering." p.176


On Fulfilling One's Task

"A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."
p.127

"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life - daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." p.122


Above quotations reprinted from:
Frankl, Viktor E., Man's Search for Meaning, Washington Square Press, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1963.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

If your like I was, you won't put it down until you've finished reading the last page.

Greetings from Dallas, Texas :tiphat:

I will get the book. I think you're the person who sent me a welcome note. Thanks David.

Michelle

By Viktor E. Frankl

This is one of the most profound books I have ever read.

Don't miss it. Now on book store shelves near you.

Here are some quotes from the book.

On Choosing One's Attitude

"Everything can be taken from a man but ...the last of the human freedoms - to choose
one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." p.104

"There is also purpose in life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man's attitude to his existence, an existence restricted by external forces." p.106


On Committing to Values and Goals

"Logotherapy...considers man as a being whose main concern consists in fulfilling a meaning and in actualizing values, rather than in the mere gratification and satisfaction of drives and instincts." p.164

"What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him." p.166


On Discovering the Meaning of Life

"The meaning of our existence is not invented by ourselves, but rather detected." p.157

"What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general, but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment." p.171

"We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: (1) by doing a deed; (2) by experiencing a value; and (3) by suffering." p.176


On Fulfilling One's Task

"A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."
p.127

"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life - daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." p.122


Above quotations reprinted from:
Frankl, Viktor E., Man's Search for Meaning, Washington Square Press, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1963.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

If your like I was, you won't put it down until you've finished reading the last page.

Greetings from Dallas, Texas :tiphat:

I remember Stephen Covey mentioning Viktor Frankl in The 7 Habits. I am sure he can pass on a lot of meaningful knowledge in this area considering what he went through.

"The meaning of our existence is not invented by ourselves, but rather detected." p.157

David,

I love that quote. It seems reassuring somehow. :)

Great book. It's been a while since I read it. Didn' t he call the psychological train of thought he used in the concentration camps - 'compartmentalism'? I'll have to reread the book.

Bdraft

Mr Draft,

Welcome to Success! Glad to have you poke yer head in here! You must have noticed something kinda blank elsewhere. Feel free to check'er over, and start a thread or two!

~ Stan ~

Mr Draft,

Welcome to Success! Glad to have you poke yer head in here! You must have noticed something kinda blank elsewhere. Feel free to check'er over, and start a thread or two!

~ Stan ~

Hey Manta, yea all's blank on the homefront still. Looks like an interesting forum here though.

Thanks, Bdraft :tiphat:

YEP! :thumb:



And animated smilies too! :biglaugh:

I wanted to dig this thread out that I posted almost three years ago when I first joined the Vibe forums.

Man's Search For meaning, continues to be one of the most interesting and thought provoking reads on my book shelf.

Also a web search on Frankl will turn up a tremendous amount of very interesting reading, not only by him but about him.

dA'AMN! I almost fergot you can ach'ly make some good contributions!


but sniper kitties ARE pretty cool too!

dA'AMN! I almost fergot you can ach'ly make some good contributions!


but sniper kitties ARE pretty cool too!

Thanks Manta

I might decide to make a genuine contribution here in the near future.

...Maybe :D

Thanks Manta

I might decide to make a genuine contribution here in the near future.

...Maybe :D

..... David scrambles to find pictures of armed kitties tossin' pumpkins off the Cotton Bowl scoreboard .....

This book was excruciatingly painful to read, like any other haulocaust book of course. I read it about 2 yrs ago. For me I found it one of those you had to read, let it process, then come back to continue. So thanks for reminding me, I need to finish the last half.

It was a great book- and distinctly NOT a feel-good, hokey, lemme-pump-you UP type of book. But it did- and does- almost demand that you look at your life and focus- with stark clarity. Think ya got "problems"? Try a concentration camp- then come back and talk about your "problems".

Powerful book- gets baseline's 5 star rating...:thumb:

Here's the best thing I took from this excellent thread:

"What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him."

That SOOO explains much of what mystifies me about my husband. The rest I pretty much cleared up reading Mars and Venus. :thumb:

Thanks Davey Wavey....

Jennifer

Here's the best thing I took from this excellent thread:

"What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him."

That SOOO explains much of what mystifies me about my husband. The rest I pretty much cleared up reading Mars and Venus. :thumb:

Thanks Davey Wavey....

Jennifer

This is a great post, Jenners. Love it! I read this book in a college psychology class. Time for a re-read, since I graduated in the class of '87!!!

Been meaning to read this one for awhile now, has anyone ever read his autobiography?

This looks very interesting, I particularly like the quotes pertaining to tension and striving for goals. It's something embedded in every one of us, and we all know there's nothing more depressing than lethargy ~ :thumb:

Joanne, are you finished reading this book? We are ready to hear your thoughts on it. :)

Joanne, are you finished reading this book? We are ready to hear your thoughts on it. :)

Holy crap David... you've been a member here since 2004?? I did not know that.

I finished the book a while ago, I thought I mentioned that in another thread.

Anyway, I liked the book, I found it inspiring and discouraging, is that possible?

The discouraging part was after all he had been through, everything that kept him strong and alive, was gone.

This quote really got to me "A man who for years had thought he had reached the absolute limit of all possible suffering now found that suffering has no limits and that he could suffer still more and still more intensely."

There were so many good quotes in the book that I wish I would have highlighted them from the beginning.

I commend him for staying in Vienna and continuing helping people,which most definitely helped him as well.

He strongly believed in reconciliation rather than revenge, another great quote "I do not forget any good deed done to me and I do not carry a grudge for a bad one" (that helped me quite a bit)

It was good to see that he rebuilt his life and did end up living a long, happy and fulfilling life.

Thank you for recommending this book. This book, unlike many others, I was able to get through without losing my concentration. :thumb:

Excellent book. I recommend it as well.

I will get the book. I think you're the person who sent me a welcome note. Thanks David.

Michelle

Definitelly agree with Michelle. Seems like I missed something already!!