Quote of the Day by Viktor Frankl: "One does not really need a state of tension-freeness, but..."

Today’s Quote of the Day is from the Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl: “Man does not really need a state without tension, but rather striving and fighting for some goal that is worthy of him.”

About Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl, born in Vienna in 1905, was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, Holocaust survivor, and founder of logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy focused on the human search for meaning.

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Trained in medicine and psychiatry before World War II; he was imprisoned in concentration camps during the Nazi era, an experience that later shaped his best-known work, Man’s Search for Meaning.

Britannica notes that Frankl’s theory held that the primary motivation of human beings is the search for meaning in life.

The quote appears in Man’s Search for Meaning, in Frankl’s discussion of logotherapy. Throughout the passage, he cautions against assuming that mental health means a state completely free of tension, arguing instead that people need “the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled.”

“What man really needs is not a tension-free state, but rather striving and fighting for some goal worthy of him.” – Viktor Frankl

Frankl’s quote challenges the common belief that the ideal life is a life free of pressure, struggle, and hardship. It does not claim that pain is good in itself. Rather, he argues that human beings need a meaningful reason to stretch themselves beyond the limits of comfort.

The deeper lesson is that purpose creates a healthy kind of tension. A person with a worthy goal is driven forward by responsibility, ambition, love, service, or unfinished business. This tension can be uncomfortable, but it can also make life feel alive, driven, and needed.

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Frankl makes a sharp distinction between empty stress and meaningful struggle. Empty stress drains people because it makes them feel useless. However, meaningful struggle gives direction to hardships. He says: it’s hard, but it’s hard for something that matters.

Why this quote resonates

This quote is very relevant today as many people chase after comfort while still feeling restless, anxious or unfulfilled. Modern life offers more tools for convenience, but convenience alone does not answer the deeper question of purpose. Frankl’s message is that peace is not always found by eliminating all tension; sometimes you find yourself committing to a goal worthy enough to withstand the strain well.

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The idea also matters in career and personal growth. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 report says employers expect 39% of workers’ essential skills to change by 2030, meaning many people will face constant learning, transformation and pressure. In such a world, a life without challenges cannot be the goal. The goal is to select challenges associated with meaning.

Frankl’s quote is especially helpful for anyone who feels stuck. The solution may not be to escape all discomfort, but to ask, “What goal is worthy of my effort? Once that answer is clear, struggle becomes less of a punishment and more of a direction.”

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear almost any ‘how’.” — Friedrich Nietzsche, quoted by Viktor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning

Frankl repeatedly uses this line from Nietzsche to explain the central power of meaning. In concentration camps, he observed that people who could connect with a future task, loved one, or responsibility often found a stronger reason to endure.

Together, these two quotes create a complete philosophy of resilience. The first says that people do not need a tension-free life; they need a worthy goal. The second explains the why: once one has the “why,” the “how” becomes more tolerable.

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How you can implement it

Choose a worthy goal: Choose one goal that is greater than comfort—learning a skill, supporting a family, building health, serving others, or creating meaningful work.

Separate stress from purpose: Ask if your current stress is related to something meaningful or just noise, ego, comparison, or fear.

Turn the discomfort in the direction: When something is difficult, write down what it trains in you: patience, courage, discipline, empathy or perseverance.

Avoid the trap of sheer ease: Rest is essential, but don’t make comfort your only goal. Growth needs friction.

Connect work with service: Even routine tasks become more meaningful when connected to someone who has helped, protected, taught, supported or inspired them.

Review your weekly “why”: Ask yourself, “What am I fighting for and is it still worthy of me?”

A final thought

“Life is never unbearable because of circumstances, but only because of a lack of meaning and purpose.” — Widely attributed to Viktor Frankl

This popular Frankl line captures the same basic idea, although the exact wording should be verified before strict publication. The message is clear: human beings are not built just for ease. They are built for a purpose. A life without tension may sound peaceful, but a life without purpose can be empty. Frankl reminds us that the right struggle can become a source of strength.

Reference

Britannica — Viktor Frankl Biography, Logotherapy and Theory of Meaning.

Internet Archive — Man’s Search for Meaning text containing the entire “state without tension” passage.

Pursuit of Happiness – Viktor Frankl overview and context quotes from Man’s Search for Meaning.

Public-domain / Archived text of Man’s Search for Meaning with full version: “a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task.”

Verywell Mind — An overview of logotherapy and the “will to meaning” as a central idea of Frankl’s.