quote · Legacy record
The only position that leaves me with no cognitive dissonance is atheism. It is not a creed. Death is certain, replacing both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell. Life on this earth, with all its mystery and beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble and get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness and joy and love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more.
The only position that leaves me with no cognitive dissonance is atheism. It is not a creed. Death is certain, replacing both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell. Life on this earth, with all its mystery and beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble and get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness and joy and love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more.
Approximate author period: c. 1969 AD · modern
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- Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
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- Approximate author period: c. 1969 AD · modern
Approximate author-period evidence for Ayaan Hirsi Ali: documented birth year 1969; activity date not established. Wikidata Q214475, inspected 2026-10-08. Not a quotation composition date or independent verification of attribution. Source: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q214475 (accessed 2026-10-08).
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