A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story
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- Create Date：2021-04-02 13:59:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Donald Miller
- ISBN：1400202981
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Summary
After writing a successful memoir， Donald Miller's life stalled。 During what should have been the height of his success， he found himself unwilling to get out of bed， avoiding responsibility， even questioning the meaning of life。 But when two movie producers proposed turning his memoir into a movie， he found himself launched into a new story filled with risk， possibility， beauty， and meaning。
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years chronicles Miller's rare opportunity to edit his life into a great story， to reinvent himself so nobody shrugs their shoulders when the credits roll。 Through heart-wrenching honesty and hilarious self-inspection， Donald Miller takes readers through the life that emerges when it turns from boring reality into meaningful narrative。
Miller goes from sleeping all day to riding his bike across America， from living in romantic daydreams to fearful encounters with love， from wasting his money to founding a nonprofit with a passionate cause。 Guided by a host of outlandish but very real characters， Miller shows us how to get a second chance at life the first time around。 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a rare celebration of the beauty of life。
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years chronicles Miller's rare opportunity to edit his life into a great story， to reinvent himself so nobody shrugs their shoulders when the credits roll。 Through heart-wrenching honesty and hilarious self-inspection， Donald Miller takes readers through the life that emerges when it turns from boring reality into meaningful narrative。
Miller goes from sleeping all day to riding his bike across America， from living in romantic daydreams to fearful encounters with love， from wasting his money to founding a nonprofit with a passionate cause。 Guided by a host of outlandish but very real characters， Miller shows us how to get a second chance at life the first time around。 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a rare celebration of the beauty of life。
Reviews
Scott Wozniak
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Excellent book on living an intentional life， based on some really good explanations of good story writing。 This is a good book for inspiring you AND equipping you to live a more meaningful and satisfying life。 I highly recommend。
Kin Paquibo
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EB
Arthi
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What a read！Simple story of our livesWhat do we expect from a story？A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get itThis sentence will have its impact at the end of the book。What do I get from this book？Inca trial to Machu PicchuBooks， movie and recommendations about various interesting people！Decent read
Philip
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It's a book about how a person wants to write a book。 You may think that's a very vague concept。 Turns out it's not like any other self-help book。 It doesn't revolve around a single plot and re-iterate it for the purpose of commercialism。 The book serves as a biography that is packed with a lot of life lessons。 “The inciting incident is how you get （characters） to do something。 It's the doorway through which they can't return， you know。 The story takes care of the rest。”。 It's a book about how a person wants to write a book。 You may think that's a very vague concept。 Turns out it's not like any other self-help book。 It doesn't revolve around a single plot and re-iterate it for the purpose of commercialism。 The book serves as a biography that is packed with a lot of life lessons。 “The inciting incident is how you get （characters） to do something。 It's the doorway through which they can't return， you know。 The story takes care of the rest。”。 。。。more
Gabbie
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Amazing。 Made me have some clarity on my purpose here in this planet。
Ejhalter
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I didn’t appreciate this book from the start， but the insights shared as the book progresses makes it a worthwhile read。
Priyanka Konagondala
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Just the thing you need to read to pick yourself up and get yourself out of the funk。Do not really relate with the god bits but if think of it as your subconscious which always knows what's right for you but your finicky mind always doing the opposite of what needs to be doneThis snippet sums up the idea behind the book:Here’s the truth about telling stories with your life。 It’s going to sound like a great idea， and you are going to get excited about it， and then when it comes time to do the wor Just the thing you need to read to pick yourself up and get yourself out of the funk。Do not really relate with the god bits but if think of it as your subconscious which always knows what's right for you but your finicky mind always doing the opposite of what needs to be doneThis snippet sums up the idea behind the book:Here’s the truth about telling stories with your life。 It’s going to sound like a great idea， and you are going to get excited about it， and then when it comes time to do the work， you’re not going to want to do it。 It’s like that with writing books， and it’s like that with life。 People love to have lived a great story， but few people like the work it takes to make it happen。 But joy costs pain。A general rule in creating stories is that characters don’t want to change。 They must be forced to change。 Nobody wakes up and starts chasing a bad guy or dismantling a bomb unless something forces them to do so。 The bad guys just robbed your house and are running off with your last roll of toilet paper， or the bomb is strapped to your favorite cat。 It’s that sort of thing that gets a character moving。The rule exists in story because it’s a true thing about people。 Humans are designed to seek comfort and order， and so if they have comfort and order， they tend to plant themselves， even if their comfort isn’t all that comfortable。 And even if they secretly want for something better。 。。。more
Ian Matthews
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Fantastic。
Aafaq
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a bit of light into this already very dark and depressing world。A completely different narrative on the life:cultured and thought provoking 。👏
Bryan Scott
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A book I will read again and again。I read this book 10 years ago， as I was finishing high school and remember the impact it had on me then to live a great story。 Today， I've read this again and maybe feel even more impacted by it the second time around。 Thank you Don for inspiring me and so many people to live greater and more meaningful stories。 I couldn't recommend this book enough。 It truly is one of my most favorite books of all time。 A book I will read again and again。I read this book 10 years ago， as I was finishing high school and remember the impact it had on me then to live a great story。 Today， I've read this again and maybe feel even more impacted by it the second time around。 Thank you Don for inspiring me and so many people to live greater and more meaningful stories。 I couldn't recommend this book enough。 It truly is one of my most favorite books of all time。 。。。more
Brianna Daly
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I love Donald Miller。 I’ve read two of his other books， and I am continuously taken by his humble air and casual， brilliant prose。 He writes in a way that challenges me and makes me think。 He writes very simply， with no frills— it’s so refreshing to take in。 Bob Goff also makes several anecdotal appearances in this book and obviously， the book is all the better for it。 A solid 4 stars— only because I’ve liked his other works a bit better and this one showing is of an earlier， teeny bit less refi I love Donald Miller。 I’ve read two of his other books， and I am continuously taken by his humble air and casual， brilliant prose。 He writes in a way that challenges me and makes me think。 He writes very simply， with no frills— it’s so refreshing to take in。 Bob Goff also makes several anecdotal appearances in this book and obviously， the book is all the better for it。 A solid 4 stars— only because I’ve liked his other works a bit better and this one showing is of an earlier， teeny bit less refined version of the writer I love。 Would recommend！ 。。。more
Tiffany
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I chuckled at times， but mostly I felt like I didn't gained anything by having listened to this book。 Maybe it's just me。 I chuckled at times， but mostly I felt like I didn't gained anything by having listened to this book。 Maybe it's just me。 。。。more
Anh Loi
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Book Rating: 5/5 Pros: I went into this book with really low expectations and honestly， that's probably why I enjoyed it so much。 It was an easy book to read， it was funny， and it was relatable。 He does reference God a bit， but he talks about God in a realistic way where even though I'm Buddhist， I understood where he was coming from。 Each chapter talks about a different topic in our everyday lives and he writes an example of how it plays out。 The life lessons are simple and just great reminde Book Rating: 5/5 Pros: I went into this book with really low expectations and honestly， that's probably why I enjoyed it so much。 It was an easy book to read， it was funny， and it was relatable。 He does reference God a bit， but he talks about God in a realistic way where even though I'm Buddhist， I understood where he was coming from。 Each chapter talks about a different topic in our everyday lives and he writes an example of how it plays out。 The life lessons are simple and just great reminders for us to think about。 Cons: He talks about God a lot， but that's only a con to me personally， because I'm Buddhist。 Other than that personal con， I really can't think of another one。 It's an overall great book。 What I learned: This book really reinforced the idea that everyone should find their life purpose to really feel fulfilled， and from what I read， he believes that life should be about giving back to the world， doing good deeds， and finding your true happiness。 。。。more
Holly Stansbury
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honestly， while I was reading， I was thinking this would be a 3 or 4 star review。 then all the sudden I was being swallowed up。。。 feeling my heart softening and sweetening。 I looked up from the book， and things looked different。 I felt different， too。 this was beautiful。 I might read it again。 if you read it， I hope your heart softens and things look different for you too。
Aaron
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What a great book！ Why it took me two and a half months to read， I don’t know。 But I wish I’d read it years ago。 Writing your own story， like writing a book is hard work but totally worth it。 And Miller does a great job explaining his journey in explaining how to do both。 Definitely things to think about。 P。s。 moments before I finished， my wife said， “should we sell our house， buy a boat and sail around the world？”
Jeremy Lim
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Relatively slow paced and a little dry at the beginning but it gets better towards the ending
Micah Treptau
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Practical， has a few gut punch moments， and is full of Don's stream-of-consciousness style writing that I love。 Practical， has a few gut punch moments， and is full of Don's stream-of-consciousness style writing that I love。 。。。more
Rachel
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Recommended by Mark。 Interesting antidotes tied into the theme of creating a story。
Christina Brandsma
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Inspirational。 Contemplative。 Simple。A friend recommended this one and I enjoyed it。 I live most of my life in my head and struggle to actually live a greater story， so this shook me around in a good way。 Some favorite sections:-I loved Bob Goff's take on what makes a great story in chapter 26: "he didn't think we should be afraid to embrace whimsy。 I asked him what he meant by whimsy， and he seemed to struggle to define it。 He said it's just that nagging idea that life could be magical， it coul Inspirational。 Contemplative。 Simple。A friend recommended this one and I enjoyed it。 I live most of my life in my head and struggle to actually live a greater story， so this shook me around in a good way。 Some favorite sections:-I loved Bob Goff's take on what makes a great story in chapter 26: "he didn't think we should be afraid to embrace whimsy。 I asked him what he meant by whimsy， and he seemed to struggle to define it。 He said it's just that nagging idea that life could be magical， it could be special if we are only willing to take a few risks。"-Chapter 30 was my favorite chapter。。。- - I resonated deeply with this line: "I doubted Him and needed Him at the same time"- - I was so convicted by the thought that I can't control my own happiness， but I can control y misery。- - I'm still thinking about this statement: "spirituality makes the most sense， the Bible makes the most sense， when we are actively doing something， when we are working through conflict， if you will， toward a greater purpose。 It's a conflict that transforms us。- - So true are these words: "I noticed that the pain was making me more tender too。"-I also loved Chapter 34- - This beautiful poem by W。 H。 Auden: "He was my North， my South， my East and West， My working week and my Sunday rest， My noon， my midnight， my talk， my song; I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong。"- - and this line "。。。I realized how much it cost to be rich in friends， how many years and stories and scenes it takes to make a rich life happen。 You don't build an end scene as beautiful as this by sitting on the couch。。。" 。。。more
Jamie Donovan
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A book about injecting meaning into your life， by turning your life into a story。 Miller argues that most of us live poor stories， some of us refusing to live a story at all。 A story is effectively how we find meaning。 By impregnating life with stories， we can shape the narrative and remember more of our short time on this planet。 By acting spontaneously， by helping others and spending time with people we love， we can reduce the filler and increase the meaning。 While I agree with the general pre A book about injecting meaning into your life， by turning your life into a story。 Miller argues that most of us live poor stories， some of us refusing to live a story at all。 A story is effectively how we find meaning。 By impregnating life with stories， we can shape the narrative and remember more of our short time on this planet。 By acting spontaneously， by helping others and spending time with people we love， we can reduce the filler and increase the meaning。 While I agree with the general premise， I do have a few critiques。 The first is his reliance on God to explain struggle and meaning。 He suggests we should not attempt to understand our difficulties， instead we should trust in some higher power。 While admirable， many problems require the individual to reflect within， and frankly the worst type of suffering is that which cannot be explained。 Second， he claims that Nietzsche philosophy is incorrect， merely because its painful or depressing。 This is to self-helpy for my liking。 Ultimately， life can be too morose or awful to give it meaning。 A child dying of a preventable disease for example， gives no meaning to the parents - there are very few ways a parent can turn that suffering into a story。 It just is。 。。。more
Leonel Tang
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It had some funny parts， but I feel like it felt a little too much。 This is like the。。。 third， fourth？ book about himself。
Marten
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Raamat mehest， kes hakkas enda elu raamatusse üles kirjutama。 Kui talle endale jäi alguses tunne， et elu oli päris lahe ja sai kõvasti seiklusi kogetud， siis tegelikult ise seda kirja pannes sai aru， et jättis paljudes kohtades elamata。 Paneb mõtlema， kuidas elada oma elu nii， et sa ei kahetseks tagasi mõeldes midagi ja et kuidas luua oma elus lugusid， mida sa tõeliselt naudid。Kui mõtled， et kas astuda see ekstra samm， et mõni jalutuskäik， sõpradega kokkusaamine või mõni muu tegevus ägedamaks te Raamat mehest， kes hakkas enda elu raamatusse üles kirjutama。 Kui talle endale jäi alguses tunne， et elu oli päris lahe ja sai kõvasti seiklusi kogetud， siis tegelikult ise seda kirja pannes sai aru， et jättis paljudes kohtades elamata。 Paneb mõtlema， kuidas elada oma elu nii， et sa ei kahetseks tagasi mõeldes midagi ja et kuidas luua oma elus lugusid， mida sa tõeliselt naudid。Kui mõtled， et kas astuda see ekstra samm， et mõni jalutuskäik， sõpradega kokkusaamine või mõni muu tegevus ägedamaks teha， siis tee seda。 Hetkes tundub see lisa effort， mida ei viitsi väga teha， aga sa tänad end hiljem， kui sellele tagasi mõtled ja oled teinud heast kogemusest ja mälestusest väga hea kogemuse ja mälestuse。 Mõnus jutustav raamat 。。。more
Olivia Bray
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just too motivational without “how to” for me。
Jen Clark
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An excellent book for writers as Miller talks about what makes a good character and a good life。 Highly recommend。
Kanika Sharma
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Entertaining， thought-provoking and inspiring。 Miller shows us how to get a second chance at life the first time around。
Olav Nielsen
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4。5A character who transform， by overcoming a conflict to get somewhere。Donald Miller shows the parallel between what makes a good story is roughly what makes a good life。 And questions whether he is living a good story。 Is it memorable and meaningful。 And that's one hell of a powerful questions to ask yourself。 Is what I'm doing right now a good story？ Is sitting on the couch a better story than anything else I could be doing？Because when we look back at our lives， the days we will remember are 4。5A character who transform， by overcoming a conflict to get somewhere。Donald Miller shows the parallel between what makes a good story is roughly what makes a good life。 And questions whether he is living a good story。 Is it memorable and meaningful。 And that's one hell of a powerful questions to ask yourself。 Is what I'm doing right now a good story？ Is sitting on the couch a better story than anything else I could be doing？Because when we look back at our lives， the days we will remember are the ones where we made an extra effort to make it memorable。 He talks about how fear and apathy are manipulative tools that make us live a boring life。 And sure they keep us safe， but our comfort zone kills us either way。And when you start your story it terrifies and you feel like you are over exerting yourself， breaking your back and getting nowhere。 But when you beach on that shore after paddling for what felt endless， you will have lived a memorable chapter。 And your character will have overcome and grown。 。。。more
Jay Vardhan
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It's a good book and is different from other self-help books。 One thing which I particularly liked is how the narrative is based around the author himself。 There were sections that were quite emotional， which you wouldn't expect to find in a self-help book。 I didn't give this five-star rating because sometimes I felt as if the author is repeating the same thing repeatedly。 The author sometimes makes religious analogies， and someone who is not familiar with Christianity finds it difficult to rela It's a good book and is different from other self-help books。 One thing which I particularly liked is how the narrative is based around the author himself。 There were sections that were quite emotional， which you wouldn't expect to find in a self-help book。 I didn't give this five-star rating because sometimes I felt as if the author is repeating the same thing repeatedly。 The author sometimes makes religious analogies， and someone who is not familiar with Christianity finds it difficult to relate。 。。。more
Ashley Jones
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This book helped change my story and impacted me in a profound way。 I read it at a time where I was struggling with my identity。 I had just lost my daughter and didn't know what to do with myself once she was gone。 This book was such a gift - an entertaining encouragement that you can take control of your story and build the life you want to live。 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years was the first book by Donald Miller I read and I highly recommend it。 This book helped change my story and impacted me in a profound way。 I read it at a time where I was struggling with my identity。 I had just lost my daughter and didn't know what to do with myself once she was gone。 This book was such a gift - an entertaining encouragement that you can take control of your story and build the life you want to live。 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years was the first book by Donald Miller I read and I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Mustafa
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An okay read till the middleThen becomes finishing it for the sake of finishing it
John R。
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