Man's Search for Meaning

I just finished reading "Man's search for meaning," by Viktor Frankl. It's one of those books that changes your life, causes a paradigm shift, makes you re-evaluate what you're doing, etc. It was awesome. Included are some of my favorite quotes from the book.

• "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual."

• "Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary.

• We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

• "Nietzsche's words, 'He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.'"

I just remember on the mission people would always ask: "Why do you walk around everyday? People turn you down all the time, it's hot, and it's got to be tiring... Why?" I never really knew how to put into words the answer - but I think Viktor Frankl taught the principle fairly clearly. If our "why" for living is strong enough, we can and will go through any "what" and "how" that it takes to get there. Passion, vision, discipline, and conscience are the keys to success.
Passion - drives you
Discipline - controls your passion and focuses it
Vision - inspires you
Conscience - Keeps it all in check