“In the mysterious way in which life is given to us in evolution on this planet, it pushes in the direction of its own expansion. We don’t understand it simply because we don’t know the purpose of creation; we only feel life straining in ourselves and see it thrashing others about as they devour each other. Life seeks to expand in an unknown direction for unknown reasons.”

— Ernest Becker, book The Denial of Death

Psychology and Religion: What Is the Heroic Individual?
The Denial of Death (1973)

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Ernest Becker26

American anthropologist 1924–1974

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