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When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough

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When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough
First edition
AuthorHarold Kushner
LanguageEnglish
SubjectTheism
God
Religion
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherSummit Books
Publication date
1986
Publication placeUnited States
Pages192 pp
ISBN0-7432-3473-1

When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough: The Search for a Life That Matters (ISBN 0-7432-3473-1) is a 1986 book by Harold Kushner, a Conservative rabbi. Kushner addresses in the book matters of existentialism, particularly the meaning of life and the individual pursuit of happiness.

Kusher explained that he aimed to explore why individuals who achieve success may not feel fulfilled with their lives.[1]

When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough makes several references to the book of Ecclesiastes, which is described as "the most dangerous book in the Bible" because it asks readers to think about life instead of blindly worshipping. Kushner argues that readers can learn from Ecclesiastes that life is its own reward, that death is less fearful than never having lived, and that the worst hell is realizing that one could have been a better human being but never made the effort.[2] It also drew insights from modern thinkers like psychologist Carl Jung, author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Buber.[3]

When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough was a bestseller and won a Christopher Award in 1987.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Roberts, Sam (April 28, 2023). "Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, Reassuring Best-Selling Author, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Sussman, Vic (May 11, 1986). "Answers to Life's Big Questions WHEN ALL YOU'VE EVER WANTED ISN'T ENOUGH. By Harold Kushner. Summit. 190 pp. $16.95". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b Smith, Gary Scott (2020-12-07). American Religious History: Belief and Society through Time [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-4408-6161-1.