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Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1946
鈥淭hose who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'.鈥�
"But there was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer."
鈥淚 do not forget any good deed done to me & I do not carry a grudge for a bad one.鈥�
There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions as the knowledge that there is meaning in one's life. There is much wisdom in the words of Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how."The first half of the book is completely absorbing, fascinating reading. When I tried to read the second, more academic part of it years ago, I floundered (I don't think I ever got through to the end). But I stuck with it this time and found it truly rewarding.
I never tire of saying that the only really transitory aspects of life are the potentialities; but as soon as they are actualized, they are rendered realities at that very moment; they are saved and delivered into the past, wherein they are rescued and preserved from transitoriness. For, in the past, nothing is irretrievably lost but everything is irrevocably stored.I had to read that one two or three times before I felt like I really grasped what Frankl was saying. And this one:
Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!I assume it's to help give us motivation to avoid making a wrong choice, by thinking through the likely consequences of what we are about to do. But there are so many nuggets of wisdom in this short volume. A few things that really impacted me:
We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.Inspiring words; inspiring life.
One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated.
It is one of the basic tenets of logotherapy that man's main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in his life. ... In accepting this challenge to suffer bravely, life has a meaning up to the last moment, and it retains this meaning literally to the end.
Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant.
鈥濵膬 sc卯rbisem de starea aceea de lucruri care m膬 constr卯ngea, zi de zi 艧i ceas de ceas, s膬 m膬 g卯ndesc doar la astfel de lucruri m膬runte. Mi-am silit g卯ndurile s膬 treac膬 la un alt subiect. Brusc, m-am v膬zut st卯nd 卯n picioare 卯ntr-o sal膬 de conferin葲e bine luminat膬, cald膬 艧i pl膬cut膬. 脦n fa牛a mea, un public atent 艧edea pe ni艧te scaune tapi牛ate, confortabile. 泞ineam o prelegere despre psihologia lag膬relor de concentrare鈥� (p.86).
鈥濶oi, cei care am tr膬it 卯n lag膬rele de concentrare, ne amintim de aceia care treceau din barac膬 卯n barac膬, m卯ng卯indu-i pe ceilal牛i, d膬ruindu-le ultima lor 卯mbuc膬tur膬 de p卯ine. Vor fi fost pu牛ini la num膬r, dar ei ne dau 卯ndeajuns de multe dovezi c膬 omului i se poate lua totul, mai pu牛in un lucru: ultima dintre libert膬牛ile umane - respectiv aceea de a-葯i alege propria atitudine 卯ntr-un anumit set de 卯mprejur膬ri date, de a-葯i alege propriul mod de a fi... La o ultim膬 analiz膬, ne devine limpede c膬 genul de persoan膬 care ajungea s膬 devin膬 de牛inutul era rezultatul unei decizii l膬untrice, nu doar rezultatul influen牛elor lag膬rului asupra sa鈥� (p.79).