If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day

If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day is the personal motto by which Lale Sokolov lived his life, a phrase that encapsulates his survival philosophy and frames the entire narrative of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. It is the lens through which Lale's extraordinary resilience, his refusal to be broken by the horrors of the Holocaust, and his ultimate reunion with Gita are understood, serving as both a daily affirmation and a testament to his enduring spirit. The motto is not merely a saying but a deeply held conviction that shaped his actions and his identity, from his first moments in the camp to his final days. It represents a conscious choice to find value in mere existence, a defiant act of hope in a place designed to extinguish it. This philosophy, articulated in the book's epilogue, provides the interpretive key to Lale's character, explaining his optimism, his resourcefulness, and his unwavering commitment to survival and love. It is the simple, profound wisdom of a man who witnessed the worst of humanity and chose to define his life by the simple fact of being alive to see another dawn.

Origin and Meaning

The motto "If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day" is presented as the guiding principle of Lale Sokolov's life, a philosophy forged in the crucible of Auschwitz. It is a stark, minimalist affirmation that reduces the measure of a good day to the single, fundamental fact of survival. In the context of the camp, where death was a constant and arbitrary presence, waking up was not a given but a victory. The phrase transforms this basic biological event into a profound moral and existential stance: to be alive is to have a chance, and that chance is the foundation of all hope. This is not a naive optimism but a hard-won realism, a way of recalibrating expectations to the absolute minimum so that any further blessing is a gift. It is the verbal distillation of Lale's core identity as a survivor, a man who, when asked if he was as strong in character as he was physically, replied simply, "I'm a survivor." The motto is the daily expression of that self-definition, a ritual of gratitude and defiance that he carried with him from the barracks to his old age.

A Philosophy Forged in the Camp

The motto's power is rooted in the brutal realities of Lale's arrival at Auschwitz. The dehumanizing processing, where he was stripped of his name and identity and tattooed with the number 32407, was an assault on his very being. The shock of the needle stabbing the numbers into his skin, followed by the rough rubbing of green ink into the wound, was a moment of profound violation, making him wonder if he would be defined by this irregular number for the rest of his life. Yet, even in this state of shock and exhaustion, his survival instinct was already at work. When he was forced to sit for the barber, he watched SS officers assaulting naked prisoners with their weapons, but he sat straighter and lifted his head higher, refusing to flinch even when the razor nicked his scalp. This act of quiet defiance, of maintaining his dignity in the face of utter humiliation, is the practical application of his philosophy. The motto was not a passive hope but an active resistance, a determination to endure the physical and psychological torment. It was the internal voice that told him to trudge on through the thickening mud when other men fell and were shot, to find shoes that more or less fit and hope the Russian clothes would do. Each morning he woke was a reaffirmation of his choice to live, a choice that was, as he later told Gita, a form of heroism and an act of defiance against the Nazi bastards.

The Motto as a Lens on Love and Suffering

Lale's philosophy of cherishing each new day is inseparable from his love for Gita. When he finally confesses his feelings, telling her, "My beautiful Gita. You've bewitched me. I've fallen in love with you," it is an affirmation of life in the midst of death. His love becomes another reason to wake up, another proof that a good day is possible. This connection is made explicit in the book's epilogue, where the author reflects on Lale's motto. On the morning of Lale's funeral, the author woke knowing it was not a good day for him, but that it would have been for Lale, because he was now with Gita. This final association reveals the motto's deepest meaning: it is not just about individual survival but about the love that makes survival worthwhile. The philosophy also helped Lale endure physical suffering. After being brutally beaten and whipped in a small, windowless room, he later showed the welts on his back to Gita. Her gentle touch and her lips following the lines of his scars became an act of healing, and he felt the deepest love he'd ever felt. The motto's promise of a new day made such moments of tenderness possible, transforming pain into a testament to their bond. It was the foundation upon which he could build a life of love, knowing that as long as he woke up, he had another chance to be with her.

A Legacy of Resilience

The motto's influence extended far beyond the war, shaping Lale's entire post-war life and the legacy he passed on to his son. After changing his name to Sokolov and marrying Gita in October 1945, Lale rebuilt his life in Bratislava, starting a successful business importing fine fabrics. His resilience, honed in the camp, allowed him to navigate the challenges of post-war Czechoslovakia, even when he was arrested on April 20, 1948, and charged with exporting jewelry and other valuables. The motto's spirit of perseverance was a constant. His son, Gary Sokolov, observed that certain things stuck with his father, most notably his lack of emotion and heightened survival instinct. Lale explained that after seeing death on such a grand scale and losing his parents and brother, he found he was unable to weep—that is, until his wife passed away. It was the first time his son had ever seen him cry. This emotional restraint was the flip side of his life-affirming motto: he had disciplined himself to focus on the simple fact of being alive, suppressing the grief that could have overwhelmed him. The motto was a shield that allowed him to live, but it also meant he carried a deep, unexpressed burden. It was only after Gita's death, and his need to join her, that he was pushed to tell his story, wanting it recorded so, in his words, "it would never happen again." The motto, then, is not just a personal affirmation but a legacy, a lesson in humanity that he chose to share with the world.

Narrative and Thematic Significance

In the narrative structure of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the motto "If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day" serves as the thematic anchor of the entire work. It is the author's final reflection on Lale's life, the key to understanding his character and the story's central message. The book is presented as Lale's account of what he and Gita needed to do to survive, and the motto is the distilled wisdom of that account. It is a philosophy that allowed him to shed the burden of guilt he had carried for more than fifty years, the fear that he and Gita might be seen as Nazi collaborators. By choosing to live, and by defining each day as good simply because he woke up, Lale was able to reconcile his actions with his conscience. The motto is also a bridge between memory and history. The author notes that Lale's memories were remarkably clear and precise, matching research into people, dates, and places; there was no parting of memory and history for this beautiful old man—they waltzed perfectly in step. The motto is the rhythm of that waltz, the steady beat of survival that carried him through the horror and into a life of love and purpose. It is the ultimate expression of the book's theme: that in the face of unimaginable evil, the simple, defiant act of waking up and choosing to live is a profound form of resistance and a testament to the enduring human spirit.