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Quotation Archive

Frankl Quote on Suffering Ceasing: The Moment of Meaning

Viktor Frankl's account of the transformation of suffering: suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning — the heart of the attitudinal pathway.

Quotation archive

Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning.

Viktor Frankl · Man's Search for Meaning

Quote record

Author

Viktor Frankl

Source

Man's Search for Meaning

Chapter / location

1946

Tradition

viktor-frankl · suffering · meaning · logotherapy · transformation

Source information

From Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.

Original language: German

Translation

Translated from German into English using a named scholarly edition.

Context

The saying is one of the most quoted of Frankl's aphorisms, and it states the heart of the attitudinal pathway of logotherapy. Frankl did not claim that meaning removes suffering — the suffering remains — but that the meaning transforms the experience: the suffering that has found a meaning is no longer the same suffering. The doctrine was forged in the camps and became a cornerstone of the therapy.

Interpretation

Viktor Frankl's account of the transformation of suffering: suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning — the heart of the attitudinal pathway.

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Related Archive Records

Historical Context

This passage is attributed to Viktor Frankl in Man's Search for Meaning. The saying is one of the most quoted of Frankl's aphorisms, and it states the heart of the attitudinal pathway of logotherapy. Frankl did not claim that meaning removes suffering — the suffering remains — but that the meaning transforms the experience: the suffering that has found a meaning is no longer the same suffering. The doctrine was forged in the camps and became a cornerstone of the therapy. The wording should be checked against Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, because edition, translation, and location determine how confidently the sentence can be quoted and interpreted.

Meaning

In context, “Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning.” addresses concerns linked to viktor-frankl, suffering, meaning, logotherapy, transformation. Its force depends on the contrast or problem surrounding it, not merely on the sentence in isolation. A sound reading distinguishes the literal claim, the rhetorical emphasis, and any broader conclusion readers may be tempted to add.

For Frankl Quote on Suffering Ceasing: The Moment of Meaning, the key interpretive question is what the quoted words are doing in the argument: defining a concept, drawing a contrast, warning the reader, or compressing a longer line of reasoning. Answering that question requires the surrounding paragraphs and the intended audience, especially when a translated term may carry several meanings.

Philosophical Interpretation

The passage indexed as Frankl Quote on Suffering Ceasing: The Moment of Meaning can be compared with Viktor Frankl, Logotherapy, Mans Search For Meaning, Suffering, Meaning, Purpose. One interpretation emphasizes the author’s immediate argument; another asks how the wording applies beyond its original setting. Both require limits: a memorable quotation can illuminate a position, but it cannot substitute for the reasons and qualifications developed in the source work.

Learning Path

Part of a Structured Collection

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Archive references

Sources

1 scholarly source
  • 01
    Man's Search for MeaningBy Viktor E. FranklBoston: Beacon Press, 2006.

Source and quality checks completed

Quality check completed 2026-08-05

Based on 1 scholarly sourceLast updated 2026-08-05