Man's Search for Meaning (1946; 1959; 1984)
Context: The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. 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. Frankl: Quotes about suffering
Viktor E. Frankl was Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, and Holocaust survivor. Explore interesting quotes on suffering.“To suffer unecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.”
Variant: To Suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.
Source: Man's Search for Meaning
Source: Man's Search for Meaning (1946; 1959; 1984), p. 67 in the 1959 Beacon Press edition
Source: Man's Search for Meaning