I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world may still know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when a man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way - an honorable way - in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment.

One can choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances.

It is always important to have something yet to do in life.

For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best.

To the European, it is a characteristic of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to 'be happy.' But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to 'be happy.' Once the reason is found, however, one becomes happy automatically. As we see, a human being is not one in pursuit of happiness but rather in search of a reason to become happy, last but not least, through actualizing the potential meaning inherent and dormant in a given situation.

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

It is not freedom from conditions, but it is freedom to take a stand toward the conditions.