The Purpose Driven Life is a bible study book written by Christian pastor Rick Warren and published by Zondervan in 2002.

This greatly inspired Warren when he had "little confidence" in his writing ability: The Purpose Driven Life might have never been written if Billy Graham had not believed in me.

The first sentence of the book reads, "It's not about you,"[5] 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.

[11][12][13] A May 2005 survey of American pastors and ministers conducted by George Barna asked Christian leaders to identify what books were the most influential on their lives and ministries.

[16] Jason Harris criticized the book for providing the scripture citations only in end notes, making it harder for readers to know the context of the passages it cites.

[23] This fact-based film tells the story of Ashley Smith, a young single mom of Atlanta, being held hostage by Brian Nichols, in her apartment for seven hours.

Smith reported to news outlets that during this time she read chapter 32 of The Purpose Driven Life to Nichols, which she credited as influencing his decision to release her from captivity.