Philosophy · Similar reads
Books like The Courage to Be
The best books like The Courage to Be are Being and Nothingness, Man's Search for Meaning, and The Myth of Sisyphus. The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich is about courage, anxiety, being. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- Being and Nothingness
01
Jean-Paul Sartre · Philosophy
Being and Nothingness is Sartre's major philosophical treatise and the founding text of French existentialism.
Both dig into existence.
Read the summary → - Man's Search for Meaning
02
Viktor E. Frankl · Psychology
Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's account of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the psychological theory he developed from that experience.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - The Myth of Sisyphus
03
Albert Camus · Philosophy
The Myth of Sisyphus begins with what Camus calls the only truly serious philosophical question: why not commit suicide?
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary →
- Fear and Trembling
04
Søren Kierkegaard · Philosophy
Fear and Trembling was published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, and it is Kierkegaard's most sustained meditation on the nature of faith through the lens of the story of Abraham and Isaac.
Shares anxiety and faith with The Courage to Be.
Read the summary → - The Courage to Create
05
Rollo May · Philosophy
The Courage to Create is Rollo May's sustained argument that creativity is not a talent but an act of courage — specifically, the courage to encounter reality directly, to bring something new into the world against the resistance of both the external environment and one's own anxiety.
Shares courage and anxiety with The Courage to Be.
Read the summary → - The Sickness Unto Death
06
Søren Kierkegaard · Philosophy
The Sickness Unto Death, published in 1849 under the pseudonym Anti-Climacus, is Kierkegaard's most rigorous psychological and theological analysis of despair — which he defines not as an emotion but as a structural failure of selfhood.
Shares anxiety and faith with The Courage to Be.
Read the summary → - The Hiding Place
07
Corrie ten Boom · Memoir
Corrie ten Boom's memoir of her family's decision to hide Jewish people in their Haarlem home during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, and of the arrest, imprisonment, and concentration camp ordeal that followed, has been continuously in print since its 1971 publication and is one of the most widely read Christian testimonies of the twentieth century.
Shares courage and faith with The Courage to Be.
Read the summary → - Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living
08
Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living
Krista Tippett · Philosophy
Becoming Wise draws on Krista Tippett's decades of conversation with scientists, poets, theologians, activists, and philosophers through her radio program On Being.
Both dig into faith.
Read the summary → - Existentialism Is a Humanism
09
Jean-Paul Sartre · Philosophy
Existentialism Is a Humanism began as a 1945 lecture Sartre gave to a packed Paris hall in response to critics who called existentialism pessimistic, quietist, and dangerous.
Both dig into existence.
Read the summary → - Mere Christianity
10
C. S. Lewis · Philosophy
Mere Christianity began as a series of BBC radio broadcasts Lewis gave during World War II, and the book retains that quality of direct, informal address.
Both dig into faith.
Read the summary → - The Problem of Pain
11
C. S. Lewis · Philosophy
The Problem of Pain is Lewis's systematic attempt to answer one of the oldest and most persistent objections to theism: if God is good and all-powerful, why does pain exist?
Both dig into faith.
Read the summary → - The Wisdom of Insecurity
12
Alan Watts · Philosophy
The Wisdom of Insecurity, published in 1951, is Alan Watts's argument that the anxiety pervading modern life is a direct consequence of the attempt to find permanent security in an impermanent world.
Both dig into anxiety.
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Books like The Courage to Be: quick answers
What are the best books like The Courage to Be?
The best books like The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich are Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard, The Courage to Create by Rollo May, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with The Courage to Be, such as courage, anxiety, being.
What should I read after The Courage to Be?
A natural next read after The Courage to Be is Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre. Both dig into existence. Other strong choices are Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard.
What books are similar to The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich?
The Courage to Be centers on courage, anxiety, being. Books with a similar feel include Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard, The Courage to Create by Rollo May, The Sickness Unto Death by Søren Kierkegaard — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
