I have discovered that the religious quest is not about discovering “The Truth” or “The Meaning of Life” but about living as intensely as possible in the here and now. The idea is not to latch on to some superhuman personality or to “get to heaven” but to discover how to be fully human – hence the images of the perfect or enlightened man, or the deified human being. Archetypal figures such as Muhammad, the Buddha and Jesus become icons of fulfilled humanity. God or Nirvana is not an optional extra, tacked on to our human nature. Men and women have a potential for the divine, and are not complete unless they realise it within themselves.

— Karen Armstrong