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
It is the pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quest for happiness can often lead to frustration and disappointment, rather than fulfillment.
This quote by Viktor E. Frankl suggests that when individuals focus too much on the act of seeking happiness, they may inadvertently hinder their ability to experience it. Frankl implies that happiness is often a byproduct of engaging fully in life's experiences, rather than a goal to be chased. Instead of pursuing happiness as an end goal, one might find it more fruitful to find meaning and purpose in their actions, which can lead to a more genuine sense of happiness.
Themes
HappinessPursuitMeaningLifeFulfillment
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech on finding joy in small moments, one could share this quote to highlight the importance of being present rather than focusing solely on happiness.
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
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
Because of social pressure, individualism is rejected by most people in favor of conformity. Thus the individual relies mainly upon the actions of others and neglects the meaning of his own personal life. Hence he sees his own life as meaningless and falls into the “existential vacuum” feeling inner void. Progressive automation causes increasing alcoholism, juvenile delinquency, and suicide.
Viktor E. FranklRead
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When your feeling down, do you know you can change it, like that. Put on a beautiful piece of music, start singing, that will change your emotion - or think of something beautiful, think of a baby, maybe one you love, really keep that thought in your mind, block out everything but that thought. I guarantee you'll start to feel good.
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Repose, leisure, peace, belong among the elements of happiness. If we have not escaped from harried rush, from mad pursuit, from unrest, from the necessity of care, we are not happy. And what of contemplation? Its very premise is freedom from the fetters of workaday busyness. Moreover, it itself actualizes this freedom by virtue of being intuition.
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