Philosophy · Similar reads
Books like The Courage to Create
The best books like The Courage to Create are Man's Search for Meaning, Big Magic, and The War of Art. The Courage to Create by Rollo May is about creativity, courage, anxiety. 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.
- Man's Search for Meaning
01
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 → - Big Magic
02
Elizabeth Gilbert · Self-help
Big Magic is Elizabeth Gilbert's manifesto for living a creative life — not as a professional artistic career but as an orientation toward existence.
Both dig into creativity.
Read the summary → - The War of Art
03
Steven Pressfield · Self-help
The War of Art is Steven Pressfield's short, blunt manual for anyone who creates — or wants to create — and finds themselves blocked, procrastinating, or unable to start.
Both dig into creativity.
Read the summary →
- Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
04
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace · Business
Creativity, Inc.
Both dig into creativity.
Read the summary → - The Artist's Way
05
Julia Cameron · Self-help
The Artist's Way is Julia Cameron's twelve-week program for recovering and developing creative ability, originally published in 1992 and still widely used in studio groups and classrooms.
Both dig into creativity.
Read the summary → - The Courage to Be
06
Paul Tillich · Philosophy
The Courage to Be originated as the Terry Lectures at Yale in 1950 and was published in 1952.
Shares courage and anxiety with The Courage to Create.
Read the summary → - Art as Experience
07
John Dewey · Philosophy
Art as Experience, published in 1934, is John Dewey's attempt to rescue aesthetics from the museum pedestal and return it to ordinary life.
Both dig into creativity.
Read the summary → - Fear and Trembling
08
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.
Both dig into anxiety.
Read the summary → - I and Thou
09
Martin Buber · Philosophy
I and Thou is Martin Buber's central philosophical work, first published in German in 1923.
Both dig into encounter.
Read the summary → - Letters to a Young Poet
10
Rainer Maria Rilke · Philosophy
Letters to a Young Poet is a collection of ten letters Rilke wrote between 1903 and 1908 to Franz Xaver Kappus, a young military cadet and aspiring poet who had sent Rilke samples of his verse and asked for criticism.
Both dig into creativity.
Read the summary → - Sculpting in Time
11
Andrei Tarkovsky · Philosophy
Sculpting in Time is Andrei Tarkovsky's account of his own filmmaking philosophy, assembled from lectures and writings over the final decade of his life and published in Russian in 1986, the year he died.
Both dig into creativity.
Read the summary → - The Creative Act: A Way of Being
12
The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Rick Rubin · Philosophy
The Creative Act is not a how-to book.
Both dig into creativity.
Read the summary →
Books like The Courage to Create: quick answers
What are the best books like The Courage to Create?
The best books like The Courage to Create by Rollo May are Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with The Courage to Create, such as creativity, courage, anxiety.
What should I read after The Courage to Create?
A natural next read after The Courage to Create is Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. A kindred philosophy read. Other strong choices are Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace.
What books are similar to The Courage to Create by Rollo May?
The Courage to Create centers on creativity, courage, anxiety. Books with a similar feel include Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
