Viktor Frankl

1905 – 1997

Born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary

Was a neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, author 

Holocaust survivor

Published 39 books

Holocaust Survivor

Founder of logotherapy – school of psychotherapy – teaches that searching for and having meaning in life is the central human motivational force.

Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl’s phenomenal masterpiece.  First published in 1946, Viktor describes his time in the Nazi concentration camps and provides insights into the will to survive, and explores our ability to stand against the worst adversity.

Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything – Published in 1946, Viktor explores the maxim of “Live as if you were living for the second time” .

The Will to Meaning – Published in 1969, this work compiles Frankl’s speeches on logotherapy. 

Mission Statement

Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is,
but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.

Viktor Frankl

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.

Viktor Frankl

Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess
except one thing,
your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.

Viktor Frankl

You cannot control what happens to you in life,
but you can always control what you will feel
and do about what happens to you.

Viktor Frankl

They who preferred to close their eyes and to live in the past.
Life for such people became meaningless.

Viktor Frankl

Meaning of life, differ from man to man, and from moment to moment.
Thus it is impossible to define the meaning of life in a general way.

Viktor Frankl

Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment.

Viktor Frankl

Everyone’s task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.

Viktor Frankl

Visualization Board

Suddenly I saw myself standing on the platform of a well-lit, warm and pleasant lecture room. …
By this method, I succeeded somehow in rising above the situation,
above the sufferings of the moment,
and I observed them as if they were already of the past.

Viktor Frankl

Spiritual / Emotional

The more one forgets 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 Frankl