I never would have made it if I could not have laughed. It lifted me momentarily out of this horrible situation, just enough to make it livable.

Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.

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.

We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. 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. When we are no longer able to change a situation-just think of an incurable disease such as inoperable cancer-we are challenged to change ourselves.

The more one forgets one’s own self, the more human the person becomes.

There are two races of men in this world but only these two: the race of the decent man and the race of the indecent man.

Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features.