"I would love to believe that when I die I will live
again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will
continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the
ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an
afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than
wishful thinking. The world is so exquisite with so much
love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive
ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good
evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability,
is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for
the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides."
— Carl Sagan, In The Valley of the Shadows