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
Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved. It finds its deepest meaning in its spiritual being, his inner self. Whether or not he is actually present, whether or not he is still alive at all, ceases somehow to be of importance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love transcends physical presence and connects deeply with the spiritual essence of a person.
In this quote, Viktor E. Frankl emphasizes that true love extends far beyond mere physical attraction or the physical presence of the beloved. Instead, it taps into a profound connection with the spiritual and inner self of the person, suggesting that love can endure even in the absence of the loved one, highlighting its timeless and unfading nature.
Themes
LoveSpiritualConnectionInner SelfAbsence
In practice
Example use cases
During a wedding ceremony, one might quote this to illustrate the depth of love shared between partners.
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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