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
When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task. . . . He will have to acknowledge the fact that even in suffering he is unique and alone in the universe. No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Suffering is an inherent part of life that one must accept and bear uniquely.
Viktor E. Frankl's quote highlights the inevitability of suffering in human existence and emphasizes that acceptance of this suffering is crucial. He suggests that each individual faces their own suffering alone, and the true opportunity lies in how one chooses to endure and handle their burdens, ultimately shaping their experience and identity.
Themes
SufferingAcceptanceUniquenessDestinyBurden
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about resilience, one might say, 'As Viktor Frankl noted, we must accept our suffering and learn to bear our burdens uniquely.'
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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