I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But as 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.

Sagan contrasts emotional desire with evidentiary standards. He admits a deeply human longing for personal continuity after death—“some thinking, feeling, remembering part” persisting—while insisting that wanting something to be true is not a reliable guide to what is true. By noting the “ancient and worldwide cultural traditions” of an afterlife, he acknowledges the breadth and power of the belief, but frames it as a cultural universal that can arise from hope, fear, and meaning-making rather than from demonstrable facts. The quote exemplifies Sagan’s skeptical humanism: compassion for existential yearning paired with intellectual honesty about what can be responsibly claimed.