--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People, fearing their own extinction, are…" description: "\"People, fearing their own extinction, are willing to accept and perpetuate hand-me-down answers to the meaning of life and death; and, fearing a weaken..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcb/robert-coover-23200_accepting_people-fearing-their-own-extinction-are_1120316.jpg" --- # People, fearing their own extinction, are willing to… ![“People, fearing their own extinction, are willing to accept and perpetuate hand-me-down answers to the meaning of life and death; and, fearing a weakening of the tribal structures that sustain them, reinforce with their tales the conventional notions of justice, freedom, law and order, nature…” quote by Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcb/robert-coover-23200_accepting_people-fearing-their-own-extinction-are_1120316.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcb/robert-coover-23200_accepting_people-fearing-their-own-extinction-are_1120316.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcb/robert-coover-23200_accepting_people-fearing-their-own-extinction-are_1120316.jpg) > “People, fearing their own extinction, are willing to accept and perpetuate hand-me-down answers to the meaning of life and death; and, fearing a weakening of the tribal structures that sustain them, reinforce with their tales the conventional notions of justice, freedom, law and order, nature, family, etc. The writer, lone rider, has the power, if not always the skills, wisdom, or desire, to disturb this false contentment.” [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers can disrupt entrenched societal narratives about life, death, and order, though they may lack skill or desire. **In simple terms:** Writers can challenge accepted beliefs. Key Takeaway Question and reshape dominant stories. Themes cultural critique individualism tradition Mood thought‑provoking critical Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - education - journalism - fiction - public speaking Key Concepts narrative theory social change Questions to Reflect On - How can writers responsibly challenge cultural myths? - What responsibilities accompany this power? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑rooted beliefs is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contentment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contentment/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinction/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law and order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-and-order/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) [Meaning of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-of-life/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I am death-fearing. 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Improve your competence. 4. Strengthen your character. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heen/the-five-c-s-of-expanding-your-capacity-1-build-your-confidence-2/) [Sheila Heen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heen/) > [It is so true that in liquid modernity freedom was, so to speak, let off the leash, and for a quite a number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/it-is-so-true-that-in-liquid-modernity-freedom-was-so-to-speak-let/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Lust is a monstrous sin which altereth, marreth, and drieth the body, weakening all the joints and members, making the face bubbled and yellow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-c-hopkins/lust-is-a-monstrous-sin-which-altereth-marreth-and-drieth-the-body/) [Claude C. Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-c-hopkins/) > [After long centuries, agrarian civilization is weakening. 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Mine feels stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/people-talk-about-the-brain-weakening-as-it-ages-mine-feels-stronger/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [“Old age is far more than white hair, wrinkles, the feeling that it is too late and the game is finished, that the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-maurois/old-age-is-far-more-than-white-hair-wrinkles-the-feeling-that-it-is/) [Andre Maurois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-maurois/) > [Weakening the federal structure essentially hampers our unity in diversity, India's biggest strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pinarayi-vijayan/weakening-the-federal-structure-essentially-hampers-our-unity-in/) [Pinarayi Vijayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pinarayi-vijayan/) > [You say a new era in art is preparing; you sensed it coming; continue your studies without weakening. 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