"Well, for one thing, the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it. Create your own."

- Morrie Schwartz (Albom 11)

“'Dying,' Morrie suddenly said, 'is only one thing to be sad over, Mitch. Living unhappily is something else. So many of the people who come to visit me are unhappy.'”

- Morrie (11)

"Most people can’t do it. They’re more unhappy than me—even in my current condition. I may be dying, but I am surrounded by loving, caring souls. How many people can say that?”

- Morrie (11)

Personal values take precedence over tradition.

In Chapter 6: The Classroom, Morrie and Mitch investigate the feeling of dying and how it compares to living. In the above excerpts, Morrie describes how the grief of dying is favorable to living an unsatisfactory lifestyle, how many of the people he's met struggle to achieve the happiness that makes life better than death. He explains that a personal circle, a network of your very own, can make even looming death prevail over living an unfitting life. The common, traditional lifestyle allows so few people to attain such a resource. Only by creating a lifestyle designed for yourself can you make living worthwhile. 

'Nightline'

In an interview, Mitch mentions his own experience with the issue of unfulfillment, comparing his own situation to Morrie's as an example.