New York Times bestselling author Miroslav Volf on why striving for superiority is at odds with the Christian faith Christianity Today 2025 Book Award Winner (Popular Theology) '[A] smart take on a world obsessed with forward motion.'--Publishers Weekly Many people believe that ambition--striving to be better than others--improves us and advances society. But what if it actually makes us worse? In The Cost of Ambition, world-renowned theologian and award-winning author Miroslav Volf argues that striving for superiority has negative consequences in all domains of life. Instead, we should strive for excellence. Volf explores ? what Søren Kierkegaard, John Milton, and the apostle Paul say about the cost of ambition; ? how we can achieve excellence rather than strive for superiority; ? how to stop being plagued by our own sense of inferiority to others; and ? why Christians must retrieve a humbler way of life. Volf also examines what the teachings of Jesus and the stories in Genesis say