The Last of the Mohicans. The Godfather. Forrest Gump.
These films are cultural touchstones. Even if you haven’t seen them, you likely know the stories, iconic lines, and the influence they’ve had on popular culture.
I’ve never watched any of them. I will. Someday. Probably.
Many people have a similar list when it comes to books — works frequently cited, widely praised, yet somehow unread. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl was on my to-be-read list for years. Authors I respect reference it all the time, but I had never actually read it until last year. And I’m grateful I finally did. I’ve now read it twice, and this one may be an annual read for me.
Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist who founded logotherapy, a school of psychology based on the premise humanity’s primary drive is not pleasure (as Freud argued) or power (as Adler suggested) but meaning. Frankl devoted his life to studying how people cultivate meaning, how it sustains them, and why it matters.
It wasn’t just theory for him. Frankl was a Holocaust survivor. He endured the horrors of Auschwitz, an experience giving Man’s Search for Meaning a weight few other books on psychology or philosophy can claim. His reflections on suffering, resilience, and the human spirit are not abstract. They were forged and tested in the crucible of one of history’s darkest moments. And yet, his message is consistently one of hope.
Man’s Search for Meaning is far more than an account of survival — it’s an exploration of what makes life worth living. As I read, I found myself taking notes, pausing to reflect, and reconsidering my own assumptions about purpose. Below are a dozen key insights I took away from Frankl’s work:
12 Lessons from Man’s Search for Meaning
- Beauty brings surprising meaning, especially in difficult circumstances. A violin playing during unimaginable suffering can reconnect us to hope, to memory, to love. In darkness, beauty has power. Beauty reminds us we are not alone.
- A future vision gives life significance. When we lose sight of tomorrow, life becomes unbearable. Meaning requires us to think forward. The ability to endure hardship is intrinsic to a future hope.
