The 20 Best Viktor Frankl Quotes That Apply to Business
Viktor Frankl was a neurologist and psychiatrist who was born in Austria in 1905 and died in 1997. He is known for being the founder of logotherapy, which is a meaning-centered school of psychotherapy that is considered the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy. It is part of the humanistic and existential psychology theories. Frankl is also known for writing more than 39 books; the best known is ‘Man’s Search for Meaning‘. This book is based on his experiences at various Nazi concentration camps, as he was a holocaust survivor. The things that Frankl has said or written in his books are considered inspirational and motivational, so many apply to business situations. Here are the 20 best Viktor Frankl quotes that apply to business.
20. On Making Decisions About your Future
“Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will become in the next moment.”
Throughout life and in business, you have many decisions to make. The decisions you make will shape your future, so it is essential to think things through carefully and consider all your options. When faced with a decision, think about each option’s pros and cons so that you can make an informed decision that is the most likely to achieve a good outcome.
19. On Reaching Your Potential
“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment.”
This Viktor Frankl quote is included in a list by The Famous People. Everyone has potential, but this is unique to each person. To reach your full potential, you must pass through various life stages. These will include both happy times and negative experiences. Regardless of whether they are good or bad, each step is an experience that will contribute to who you eventually become.
18. On the Right to Make Your Own Decisions
“A human being is a deciding being.”
It is a fundamental right of humans to make their own decisions in life. There is nobody who can dictate to you how your life should go or make decisions on your behalf. It is up to you to take responsibility for making decisions regarding your life and to makes sure you make the right choices.
17. On Empowering Others
“If we take a man as he is, we make him worse, but if we take man as he should be, we make him capable of what he can be.”
As a business owner or a business leader, it is crucial to bring the best out of your team. Ensure they have opportunities for professional and personal development, as this will benefit both them and your business.
16. On Learning from Experience
“We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: 1. By doing a deed; 2. By experiencing a value; and 3. By suffering.”
According to Viktor Frankl, there are three ways of learning in life. These are doing a deed, experiencing a value, and suffering. All three of these are ways of learning through experience. While you can learn a lot from books or taking a course, there are many things in business that you can only learn through experience. It is something that will happen over time, and sometimes the best learning experiences are those that involve making a mistake or suffering a failure.
15. On Striving for More
“Even when it is not fully attained, we become better by striving for more.”
If you want to become successful, then you should always strive to achieve more. Even if you do not always fully achieve your goals, having something to work towards will keep you motivated and make sure you continue to make progress.
14. On Making Every Moment Matter
“View life as a series of movie frames, the ending and meaning may not be apparent until the very end of the movie, and yet, each of the hundreds of individual frames has meaning within the context of the whole movie.”
Viktor Frankl describes life as being like a movie and that you move through life as though through a series of frames. Each of the movie frames contributes something to your story. You should make sure that every part of your life is valuable and adds something positive that will help you succeed. Even failures and mistakes can become positive elements of your life as they are a learning process that can help you to succeed in the future.
13. On Standing Up for What You Want
“Man is not fully conditioned and determined but rather determines himself whether he gives in to conditions or stands up to them.”
If you want to go places in life and become successful, it is crucial that you stand up for what you want. Your ability to make a stand will determine the level of success you achieve. An inability to stand up for what you want will prevent you from succeeding.
12. On Turning Things Around
“For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement.”
Just because things are not going well, it does not mean that this must always be the case. If you are unhappy with your life and want more, then it is up to you to do something about it. People can make a difference in their lives if they can identify the problems and then do something about them.
11. On Gaining Strength
“Man’s inner strength may raise him above his outward fate.”
You must gain strength throughout life to help you cope with various business situations. Often, strength grows when you have been through negative experiences. At the time, these can seem like difficult situations, but the positive you can draw from them is that you gain strength and grow as a person. Having inner strength will equip you to cope better in the future.
10. On Having a Positive Attitude
“Our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude.”
This Viktor Frankl quote is listed on Idea Pod. Having a positive attitude is vital in business as it will keep you motivated and passionate about your work, while a negative attitude will have the opposite effect. Your attitude will also rub off on the rest of your team, so if you want them to have a positive attitude, then you must set that example.
9. On Taking on Challenges
“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.”
Business is full of challenges, and how you respond to these situations will determine whether you stand a chance of becoming successful or not. If you can face problems head-on, find solutions, and work your way through the situation with a positive attitude, you will have a good chance of success.
8. On Coping in Difficult Situations
“An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.”
Difficult situations can cause people to respond in different ways. While some people handle the hard times well, others panic, experience fear, or feel overwhelmed. This Victor Frankl quote says that it is perfectly normal behavior to react abnormally in an abnormal situation. Do not worry too much if you do not react well to a situation. Just try to stay positive and work your way through the problems.
7. On Setting Goals
“Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.”
Setting goals is a key element of becoming successful. They help you to work effectively and methodically, and they also help you to manage your time and multitask. It is best to also set short-term goals rather than just long-term goals as these will help you to work towards your long-term goals and keep you motivated as you will have mini successes and achievements along the way.
6. On Fulfilling Every Task to the Best of Your Ability
“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated; thus, everyone’s task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.”
Listed by Brainy Quote, this Viktor Frankl quote is all about trying your best in every situation and fulfilling every task to the best of your ability. If you are not willing to give your business your all, then you will have little chance of success.
5. On Working as a Team
“For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best.”
If you have a team working for you, it is vital that they can work well together towards the same goals. When a team does not work well together, they will find it difficult to work effectively. You should promote cohesion in your team to get the best out of them, and everyone must be contributing something. To achieve this, you should encourage your team and show appreciation for their contributions so that they feel valued.
4. On Learning from Failures
“In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.”
Failures are difficult for many people, but they are something that most people will experience at some point in their lives. If you fail, you should never give up. Use your failures as an opportunity to assess what went wrong, learn from your mistakes, and do things differently and better in the future.
3. On Taking Things One Step at a Time
“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater.”
Looking too far into the future can sometimes blind you to what you need to do now. Therefore, it sometimes makes sense to just take things one step at a time. It is one of the reasons that it is essential to set yourself short-term goals to use as stepping stones to achieve your long-term goals.
2. On Having a Willingness to Change Yourself
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
When you face a tricky or trying situation, you must look at what has caused the problem. If you cannot find the cause from external factors, then you may need to look at yourself. In some cases, the only way to resolve a situation is to make changes to yourself and how you do things. Doing this may involve looking at your personal strengths and weaknesses to determine how you can improve.
On Choosing Your Own Path
“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.”
According to Mind Café, one of the best Viktor Frankl quotes that apply to business. Every person wants something different from life, and there is no right or wrong way for people to live their lives. If you choose a career path in business, then you should do whatever it takes to enjoy the career you want and to become a success in your chosen field. You will only have true happiness in life if you are following along the path of your choice.
