The Search for Meaning Theme in Man’s Search for Meaning

According to Frankl, the will to meaning is the motivating force in any person’s life—in other words, the need for some kind of meaning in one’s actions and existence is at the core of one’s psychology. The first section of the book is a testament to this belief. Frankl writes from his own horrific experience as a prisoner in four different Nazi concentration camps over the course of three years, and he uses his observations there as evidence for his claims. Frankl explains that many prisoners became apathetic about their lives just a few days after arriving at a concentration camp. They quickly grew accustomed to the cruelty that surrounded them, and they knew their chances of survival were limited, so they essentially gave up. Frankl himself managed to avoid this apathy, however, by constantly looking for ways to make his experience meaningful. He did this by deciding to use his suffering as an opportunity to become a better person. Frankl also reoriented his frame of mind, deciding to think of his time in the camps as an important opportunity to observe how such an environment affected prisoners’ minds. Finally, he found meaning in his life by remembering his love for his wife and committing himself to rewriting the manuscript that the Nazis took from him in Auschwitz.

In the second section of the book, Frankl discusses the problems that can arise when someone’s will to meaning becomes existentially frustrated outside of the concentration camp setting. Frankl’s form of therapy, logotherapy, is designed to help an individual find value in every moment of life, even if he is confident that there is none to be found. Frankl says that there are three ways to find meaning in life: through work, through love, and through suffering. Ultimately, by being responsible to one’s work, love, or suffering, one can improve one’s own life. Frankl does not, however, purport to know the general meaning of life or to have the answer for why humans must suffer. He calls the answers to these questions the super-meaning, but claims that the super-meaning is something that humans cannot possibly understand. Instead of asking what is the overall meaning of life, he declares, we should realize that life asks us to determine our own meaning.

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The Search for Meaning Quotes in Man’s Search for Meaning

Below you will find the important quotes in Man’s Search for Meaning related to the theme of The Search for Meaning.

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. I understand how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved.

Page Number and Citation: 37

Explanation and Analysis:

Frankl’s model for human happiness, what he calls the self-transcendence of human existence, consists ultimately in our ability to lose ourselves in something, or someone, else. Love, as Frankl maintains, is part of life’s super-meaning; it is, in other words, one of the things that justifies our existence against a backdrop of pain, guilt, and death. It may give us relief “only for a brief moment,” but according to Frankl even this brief moment of self-consciousness-destroying love can be enough to make up for years of pain. Like Freud’s earlier psychoanalytic model for the human mind, Frankl’s draws heavily on Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Vo

Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved. It finds its deepest meaning in his spiritual being, his inner self. Whether or not he is actually present, whether he is still alive at all, ceases somehow to be of importance.

Page Number and Citation: 38

Explanation and Analysis:

This quotation forms the essence of Frankl’s self-transcendence, the “going beyond the physical person of the beloved” that he sees as so essential to survival when the physical person—either the body of the lover or of the beloved— is in danger, either due to uncontrollable external circumstances (as in a concentration camp) or due to the deep existential frustration that can drive mind and body to self-destruction. Frankl’s conception of human existence maintains a dualism between body and spirit— your body can be in a terrible place, but you can transcend this physical reality by turning to the spirit. The Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus

I sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom. I felt it transcend that hopeless, meaningless world, and from somewhere I heard a victorious “Yes” in answer to my question of the existence of an ultimate purpose.

Page Number and Citation: 40

Explanation and Analysis:

In his insistence on total commitment to something outside of oneself as the only way to transcend the pain and difficulty that accompany human existence, Frankl offers a precursor to Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s well-known concept of “flow,” the “state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter,” according to Csikszentmihalyi’s 1990 book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. According to both Frankl and Csikszentmihalyi, when we are fully immersed in an experience, whether of love or hope or meaningfulness, we are transcending ourselves and experiencing joy. Frankl explains this in more spiritual Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque i

It is this spiritual freedom—which cannot be taken away—that makes life meaningful and purposeful.

Page Number and Citation: 67

Explanation and Analysis:

This freedom we all have, to find what is meaningful and focus on it, is the only thing in Frankl’s philosophy that can pull us from the mire of despair and pain we all live in— to different degrees, as most of us have never experienced a concentration camp— toward spiritual realization. There are two aspects of this realization, as it must bring us toward that which is both “meaningful” and “purposeful.” It is essential to note, however, that Frankl does not posit this spiritual freedom as an escape from suffering; in fact, according to Frankl, suffering is one of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperior

If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete.

Page Number and Citation: 67

Explanation and Analysis:

Frankl’s logotherapy is always as much philosophy as psychology, and here he makes a classic philosophical move: if there is to be meaning in life, there must be meaning in suffering, because suffering is always part of life. Now, in fact, this is not that well-crafted as a logical statement, because unless suffering and life are one and the same the “meaning in life” could reside elsewhere besides in its suffering. However, despite the loose logic of his philosophical statement, we get Frankl’s point: suffering is a necessary part of life, and if we want to find meaning in life Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui

Thus it is impossible to define the meaning of life in a general way. Questions about the meaning of life can never be answered by sweeping statements. “Life” does not mean something vague, but something very real and concrete, just as life’s tasks are also real and concrete. They form man’s destiny, which is different and unique for each individual.

Page Number and Citation: 77

Explanation and Analysis:

This passage is vital to building an understanding of Frankl’s aim in Man’s Search for Meaning. While Frankl has distinct philosophical aims in outlining what he calls logotherapy, his aim is not to explain the “meaning of life” in any universal or “general” sense. This sets him apart from philosophers like Descartes or Spinoza who made it their life’s work, ultimately, to decide what life in general could mean. “Life” for Frankl is not an abstract concept, but a composite of realities and our reactions to them— this is “very real and concrete,” and therefore calls for reactions that are Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis.

At that moment there was very little I knew of myself or of the world—I had but one sentence in mind—always the same: “I called to the Lord from my narrow prison and He answered me in the freedom of space.”
How long I knelt there and repeated this sentence memory can no longer recall. But I know that on that day, in that hour, my new life started. Step for step I progressed, until I again became a human being.

Page Number and Citation: 89

Explanation and Analysis:

Channeling Dostoevsky, the famous Russian author who said he found god in his most desperate moments while being held in prison, Frankl creates a mantra in order to survive, in a high-religious or even scriptural tone. God opens up the freedom of spiritual space for Frankl, whose body has been forced into this “narrow prison.” Interestingly, this narrow prison is not Auschwitz but Frankl’s post-liberation existence. Falling to his knees in the most traditional gesture of religious submission, Frankl realizes what he wants to be responsible for, the meaning of his life: helping other people out of the “narrow prison” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores

One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.

Page Number and Citation: 109

Explanation and Analysis:

As Frankl has explained in earlier quotations, his book is not about finding the “abstract meaning of life”— the general answer to that perennial question, “What is the meaning of life?” Instead, Frankl pushes us always toward our “specific vocation or mission in life,” which consists of our “concrete assignments.” It is never quite clear who assigns each of us with these tasks, but given Frankl’s spiritual predilections the taskmaster is most likely God. Because each person’s task is unique, each life must also be unique and so cannot be repeated. This provides a basis for the tragic optimism central Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident exped

Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he should recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 109

Explanation and Analysis:

Frankl posits meaning-finding in this passage as an active and a creative process, rather than a passive task. In this spiritual framework, life calls on each of us to recognize our meaning and all of its specific tasks. Idly asking of life “what’s the point?” will leave us with little result; but, if we take on the responsibility of making our lives meaningful, we find ourselves closer to the realization of our own meaning. This claim seems confusing in contrast to Frankl’s assertion that all people have unique and specific meanings to discover in their lives, for if people are Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam offici

Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized.

Page Number and Citation: 111

Explanation and Analysis:

Frankl maintains that love is the only force which allows us to transcend the three types of trauma central to human existence— pain, despair, and guilt. To see beyond the superficial aspect of another person’s experience, into their “very essence” or “innermost core,” we must love that person. Lest we begin to believe that Frankl’s insistence on finding our own meaning in life means we should ignore other people and selfishly work only toward our own fulfillment, this passage reminds us of the importance of seeing other people’s “essential traits and features” and, even more importantly, the potential in them. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Qu

It is one of the basic tenants of logotherapy that man’s main concern is not to gain pleasure or avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in his life. That is why man is even ready to suffer, on the condition, to be sure, that his suffering has a meaning.

Page Number and Citation: 113

Explanation and Analysis:

Here again Frankl opposes his framework of logotherapy to other dominant strains of philosophy (hedonism is all about gaining pleasure, for example) and therapy (in some traditions, about avoiding pain). Frankl rejects the pleasure principle— Freud’s means of asserting that humans hurtle toward whatever is pleasurable and away from what is painful— and suggests that meaning is both more important and ultimately more enjoyable than either pleasure or pain. Much of Frankl’s book, understandably given its origin story, is about trying to see suffering as something besides needless pain. In this passage, Frankl says that people are willing to suffer Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaqu

The Search for Meaning Theme Analysis

The Search for Meaning ThemeTracker

The Search for Meaning Quotes in Man’s Search for Meaning

Experiences in a Concentration Camp Quotes

Logotherapy: The Meaning of Life Quotes

Logotherapy: The Meaning of Love Quotes

Logotherapy: The Meaning of Suffering Quotes