He had learned long ago that, in general, the easier it was for anxious patients to reach him, the less likely they were to call. (107)
Irvin D. YalomRead
A sense of life meaning ensues but cannot be deliberately pursued: life meaning is always a derivative phenomenon that materializes when we have transcended ourselves, when we have forgotten ourselves and become absorbed in someone (or something) outside ourselves
Interpretation
What this quote means
True meaning in life arises from self-transcendence and connection with others.
This quote by Irvin D. Yalom suggests that the pursuit of meaning in life cannot be a primary goal; instead, it is a byproduct that occurs when individuals immerse themselves in experiences or relationships that are greater than themselves. Engaging deeply with others or with meaningful tasks leads to a sense of fulfillment and purpose, which emerges naturally rather than being forced.
Themes
MeaningLifeSelf-TranscendenceConnectionRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about finding purpose, this quote can remind us to focus on our bonds with others.
More from Irvin D. Yalom
All quotes →A curious thought experiment. . . Nietzsche's message to us was to live life in such a way that we would be willing to repeat the same life eternally
Irvin D. YalomRead
Marriage and its entourage of possession and jealousy enslave the spirit.
Irvin D. YalomRead
It is wrong to bear children out of need, wrong to use a child to alleviate loneliness, wrong to provide purpose in life by reproducing another copy of oneself. It is wrong also to seek immortality by spewing one's germ into the future as though sperm contains your consciousness!
Irvin D. YalomRead
Life is a spark between two identical voids, the darkness before birth and the one after death.
Irvin D. YalomRead
I dream of a love that is more than two people craving to possess one another.
Irvin D. YalomRead
Similar quotes
The whole blear world of smoke and twisted steel around my head in a railroad car, and my mind wandering past the rust into futurity: I saw the sun go down in a carnal and primeval world, leaving darkness to cover my railroad train because the other side of the world was waiting for dawn.
Allen GinsbergRead
I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am.
Sylvia PlathRead
Human beings were put on the planet to depend upon their Creator and to worship their Creator at every point in every sphere of culture.
John PiperRead
Everything in Louisiana is about layers. There are layers of race, layers of class, layers of survival, layers of death, and layers of rebirth. To live with these layers is to be a true Louisianian. This state has a depth that is simultaneously beyond words and yet as natural as breathing. How can a place be both other-worldly and completely pedestrian is beyond me; however, Louisiana manages to do it. Louisiana is spooky that way.
Don LemonRead
Waiting and hoping are the whole of life, and as soon as a dream is realized it is destroyed.
Gian Carlo MenottiRead
I think I would have been a totally different kind of writer if I'd gone to England. I might have developed a cynicism about my origins, a belittling of them, or an excessive nostalgia for them.
Derek WalcottRead