logo

59 pages 1 hour read

Rick Warren

The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?

Rick WarrenNonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2002

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

“It’s not about you.”


(Part 1, Day 1, Page 21)

This abrupt opening line utilizes asyndeton, a deliberate omission of conjunctions, creating a stark and blunt statement. The sentence’s brevity and directness immediately draw attention to the central theme of the book: the pursuit of personal purpose in the context of a greater divine plan. This is in opposition to self-serving lifestyles that focus on the individual.

Quotation Mark Icon

“This life is not all there is.”


(Part 1, Day 4, Page 39)

There’s an implicit use of antithesis, a literary device that places contrasting ideas in close proximity. This quote contrasts the seen with the unseen, suggesting a more significant spiritual reality beyond the physical world. This antithesis functions to encourage a look beyond surface-level appearances to deeper meanings and purposes.

Quotation Mark Icon

“Life is a test, life is a trust, and life is a temporary assignment.”


(Part 1, Day 5, Page 45)

This quote uses a tricolon to enhance its rhetorical impact. It suggests that life’s sequence of tests offers opportunities for personal and spiritual growth, positioning life as a trust that underscores the responsibility to manage it with care as something bestowed by a higher power. Furthermore, it underscores life’s fleeting nature, a temporary mission that calls for an emphasis on eternal over temporal achievements, each part employing