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

A man who could not see the end of his"provisional existence" was not able to aim at an ultimate goal in life.

Decisions, not conditions, determine what a man is.

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

Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him—mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp.

No one can take from us the ability to choose our attitudes toward the circumstances in which we find ourselves. This is the last of human freedoms.

As such, I also bear witness to the unexpected extent to which man is capable of defying and braving even the worst conditions conceivable.