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
An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often respond in unusual ways to unexpected or challenging circumstances, and this response is a natural part of human behavior.
Viktor E. Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, emphasizes that in extraordinary situations—such as trauma or crisis—what might seem like an 'abnormal' reaction is actually a typical response for individuals facing such circumstances. This perspective invites understanding and compassion towards themselves and others when navigating through life's unpredictable challenges.
Themes
ReactionAbnormalBehaviorNormalSituationsCrisis
In practice
Example use cases
During a public speech about mental health, one might use this quote to highlight how varied reactions are to trauma.
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.
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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.
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It is the pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.
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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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