In The Cost of Ambition , Miroslav Volf shows that rather than improving us as individuals and as a society, our ambition to be better than others actually diminishes us.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, the things that surround us, and our 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."A beautifully written, deeply necessary account of the dangers of mimetic ambition in a world that seems to prize it above all else. Volf manages to render the familiar texts he covers startling and new, and in so doing, challenges us to think through some of modern life's most urgent questions."-- Tara Isabella Burton , author of Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians "Miroslav Volf shows us how our built-in, always-on, hard-to-see preference for superiority over others--as old as human history yet never more relevant than today--works against our own well-being and that of our societies.

As a business leader, I've seen the destruction caused by teammates who are motivated by one-upping one another to promote their personal interest over the collective goals. The good news is that The Cost of Ambition offers a reliable way out . if we are willing to hear and see it."-- Scott Stephenson , former chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Verisk Analytics.