16 MILLION COPIES SOLD‘A book to read, to cherish, to debate, and one that will ultimately keep the memories of the victims alive’ John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped PyjamasA prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn’t) with the experience. He noticed that it was the men who … experience. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest – and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. The sort of person the concentration camp prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone. Frankl came to believe man’s deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living.
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It´s a great book to read when you are going through hard times.
one of the big minds of history
logotherapy and existential psychotherapy
lost in aushwitz – he think about his wife, he try to search what to live for
he teach us that we can find meaning even in the darkest place in history
must read for all
Viktor Frankl was an amazing human being who went through the inhuman experiences of the concentration camp. Not only did he survive, but he helped others like him to restore their will to exist even if the future was not guaranteed. This book gave me comfort like nothing else or no-one could at the time I most needed. It will wake you up and …
Changed my outlook on life. Exceptional — always find myself wanting to come back to it.
DRY!
The importance of always remembering your purpose no matter how hard times can get.
The tale of a psychotherapist who survived Auschwitz. The first half is his story; the second half is how he applied it to his psychotherapy practice.
The first half of the book is stomach churning, as any true telling of the horrors of the concentration camps in WWII must be. A lot of people stop here. The second half of the book, however, talks …
This book resonates deeply in my heart n soul. It lifted my spirits at a very low point in life where I felt that life was meaningless. It gave me hope n a new lease on life because it said:
Man ….is able to live n even to die for d sake if his ideals n values!
I am an incorrigible idealist, with spiritual values. Hence, d above sentence …
I had this book for a bit and then one day the time was just right to read it. If you feel your life is tough then read this. I have so many books that make me so appreciate what I have. Thank you Viktor Frankl and again Dr. Wayne Dyer for the recommendation.
The outcome of many a debate is determined in advance by the opening presumption. For example, do we assume a proposition is correct and require evidence against or assume it is false and require evidence in favor?
Viktor Frankl’s genius consists of applying this principle to the question of the meaning of life. In MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING, he proposed that we should not demand meaning from life, but rather recognize that life demands meaning from us.
More than that, since the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and even from hour to hour, what matters is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s particular life at a given moment. And from this it follows that each person has his own specific vocation in life and must carry out a concrete mission. In that special assignment he cannot be replaced.
Even under the tyranny of the Nazi death camps, where Frankl was a prisoner for nearly four years (described in Part One of the book), or the Soviet Gulag, where almost everything could be taken from a person, Frankl insisted that one thing remained, the last of human freedoms: the ability to chose one’s attitude under any circumstances.
For me, reading MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING as a young man was a life-changing experience. It settled in my mind the question of determinism vs. free will. It established for me a working hypothesis that my life could be pulled by goals as well as pushed by drives. As Frankl points out, between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our power to choose our response and in that choice lies our growth and freedom. In short, it doesn’t matter what we expect from life but rather what life expects from us.
In my opinion, MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING should be on the core reading list of every American who aims to preserve human freedom and dignity.
NOTE: For anyone facing an existential crisis, I recommend Frankl’s speech to fellow concentration camp inmates in the winter of 1944-1945, which can be found on pages 102-105 of the book.
Frankl was a young Jewish psychiatrist who survived the death camps. His observations of his fellows and how they chose to react under unthinkable circumstances was, amazingly, an exhilarating rather than a devastating reading experience. I underlined the hell out of this little book. One of many fervent underscores: “…any man can. even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him — mentally and spiritually.” So, we choose life, and choose how to live it.
This book made/allowed me to realize the importance of my life’s choices, even the little ones, and to be proud of my life’s circumstances: caring for my dogs, my husband, even to deciding the next book to read. OK, my husband, my dogs…..
Mr. Frankl’s logo therapy appears to be as relevant today as it was when he was studying/writing the subject in the late 1930’s through his death. His personal story and insights are indeed tragic and inspirational.
I’ve read this book multiple times. It is in my reference library as I am inspired by it. Man’s Search for Meaning has gotten me through some pretty tough times.
I cannot choose a single word because no one word answer would do this book justice nor could a single word begin to describe this work, this book’s observation of the darkest corners of humanity and yet how hope can still survive when hope is trying to be extinguished off the face of the earth.
This is my favorite book. Ever. In the interest of inclusive language, I’ve seen this title changed to The Search for Meaning. Frankl’s focus on our greatest freedom–our attitude–is important for all of all always.
Victor Frankl knows so much more about life and living than so many of us. This is a book I’ve read and re-read and pondered….
This is another life changing book that I’ve read. It was an assigned reading book during the beginning of my spiritual formation. It is a book that I go back to often. I feel it should be required reading for every high school senior in today’s world. It just might change the course of some more lives. It’s the kind of book that keeps you thinking long after you put it down each time. It will keep you up at night. It will invade your mind and your heart.
While the book is a bit tedious to read, I think this is only understandable as Frankl lived through and is describing hell on earth in this book. I think books like this are important as a witness to history, and maybe as a lesson and a guard against what cruelties humans can do to each other.
Extraordinary book! I could have highlighted every sentence. A must read!
All of life is choice…however tragic the moment, we alone define our experiences.