The Cost of Ambition Audiobook By Miroslav Volf cover art

The Cost of Ambition

How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse

Pre-order with offer Pre-order for $0.00
Offer ends January 21, 2025 at 11:59PM ET.
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Cost of Ambition

By: Miroslav Volf
Narrated by: Jim Denison
Pre-order with offer Pre-order for $0.00

$14.95/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends January 21, 2025 11:59PM ET. Cancel anytime.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Pre-order for $13.99

Pre-order for $13.99

Confirm pre-order
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Many people believe that ambition, understood as striving to be better than others, improves us as individuals and advances society. But what if the opposite is true?

In The Cost of Ambition, world-renowned theologian and award-winning author Miroslav Volf argues that striving for superiority actually makes us worse.

Working his way backward in time, Volf explores what three influential thinkers—Søren Kierkegaard, John Milton, and the apostle Paul—say about the cost of ambition. He also explores what the teachings of Jesus and the stories in Genesis say on the matter. Volf explains that striving to be better than others, though widely accepted as part of modern life, devalues our achievements, things that surround us, and relationships because it makes them into mere means to an empty goal. He reveals ambition's negative consequences in all domains of life, showing that it is at odds with the key convictions of Christian faith.

After unpacking the toxicity of ambition, Volf uses contemporary examples to guide listeners to a better goal: striving for excellence.

©2025 Miroslav Volf (P)2025 Christian Audio

What listeners say about The Cost of Ambition

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.