The Purpose Driven Life is a bible study book written by Christian pastor Rick Warren and published by Zondervan in 2002. The book offers readers a 40-day personal spiritual journey and presents what Warren says are God's five purposes for human life on Earth. Background Warren was encouraged by Billy Graham in his 20s after he wrote his first book: Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods. This greatly inspired Warren when he had "little confidence" in his writing ability: The 2002 book Purpose Driven Life is a sequel to his 1995 book The Purpose Driven Church. Overview The book is intended to be read as a daily inspiration, with each of the 40 short chapters read on consecutive days. Each chapter contains a personal application section at the end with a "point to ponder," a verse to remember, and a question to consider over the course of that day. Rick Warren described his book as an "anti-self-help book." The first sentence of the book reads, "It's not about you," and the remainder of the chapter goes on to explain how the quest for personal fulfillment, satisfaction, and meaning can only be found in understanding and doing what God placed you on Earth to do. The book's 40 chapters are divided into six major sections, with the following titles: What on Earth Am I Here For? Purpose #1: You Were Planned for God's Pleasure (Christian Worship) Purpose #2: You Were Formed for God's Family (Christian Fellowship) Purpose #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ (Discipleship) Purpose #4: You Were Shaped for Serving God (Christian Ministry) Purpose #5: You Were Made for a Mission (Christian Mission) In later versions of the book, 2 additional chapters were added about the 2 biggest reasons why Christians don't live purpose driven lives, envy and "people pleasing." Reception Sales The book topped the Wall Street Journal best seller charts as well as Publishers Weekly charts. The Purpose Driven Life was also on the New York Times Bestseller List for over 90 weeks. It had sold over 18 million copies by 2008, and 32 million copies within its first decade, by 2012. According to both the author and publisher Simon & Schuster, 50 million copies had been sold in more than 85 languages by 2020. Impact A May 2005 survey of American pastors and ministers conducted by George Barna asked Christian leaders to identify what books were