MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor Frankl
(a tiny book that has gradually sold more than 10 million copies).
More importantly, Frankl survived Auschwitz (his wife and parents did not). He was always amazed at the success of this particular book -- and wrote these humble words of advice:
“It is both strange and remarkable to me that – among the dozens of books I have authored --- this one, which I had intended to be published anonymously so that it could never build up any reputation on the part of its author -- DID become a success. And so I therefore admonish my students in America and Europe:
‘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 dedication to a cause greater than oneself, or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself . . . the same holds for ‘Success’ – you have to let it happen by not caring about it.”
-- Viktor Frankl
2 comments:
This post has been viewed over 800 times since posted and is simple and true. It has ranked at the top of all of my posts as #1 since the day I posted it.
almost 7,000 hits on this - it is so good and so short and so famous
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