How We Learn to Be Brave

Decisive Moments in Life and Faith

De: Mariann Edgar Budde

Narrado por: Mariann Edgar Budde

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

How We Learn to Be Brave is an inspirational guide to the key junctures in life that, if navigated with faith and discernment, pave the way for us to become our most courageous selves, by the bishop of the famed Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C.—now includes a new Preface and the 2025 Inauguration prayer service sermon.

On January 21, 2025, many Americans were introduced to Bishop Mariann Budde thanks to what The New York Times called “an extraordinary act of public resistance.” During her prayer service for Donald J. Trump’s second inauguration, Bishop Budde addressed the president directly, imploring him “to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now,” from those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community to immigrants and refugees.

But for Bishop Budde, this moment was the culmination of a lifetime spent thinking about those pivot points when we’re called on to push past our fears and act with strength. With How We Learn to Be Brave, she teaches us that being brave is not a singular occurrence; it’s a journey that we can choose to undertake every day.

Here, Bishop Budde explores the full range of decisive moments, from the most visible and dramatic (the decision to go), to the internal and personal (the decision to stay), to brave choices made with an eye toward the future (the decision to start), those born of suffering (the decision to accept that which we did not choose), and those that come unexpectedly (the decision to step up to the plate). Drawing on examples ranging from Harry Potter to the Gospel According to Luke, she seamlessly weaves together personal experiences with stories from scripture, history, and pop culture to underscore both the universality of these moments and the particular call each one of us must heed when they arrive.

With Bishop Budde’s wisdom, readers will learn to live and to respond according to their true beliefs and in ways that align with their best selves. How We Learn to Be Brave will provide much-needed fortitude and insight to anyone searching for answers in uncertain times.

Inspiring

Never underestimate the power of grace. I am not a religious person, but I am spiritual and was able to connect to her vulnerability. Her words are gentle and kind and just what I needed at this moment.

Roadmap for our times!!

What a lovely roadmap for living through these challenging times! My 1st time listening/reading and I look forward to enjoying again in the future. thank you Bishop Budde

So inspirational!

The Bishop brought so many wonderful learning examples into her book. She shared her thoughts and her struggles making so much of what she said immediately relatable!
I highly recommend to all!

So inspiring

Bishop Buddie is inspiring. I so enjoyed this audiobook, narrated by her. I applaud her courage

Hope for humankind

A beautiful story rich guide to how to be courageous within life’s circumstances and find joy in being human through connection to one another and the God within.

Truth

The raw honesty was astounding ! Her use of stories some from her own life and some Biblical .An amazing book - so glad she wrote it .

Stories we need right now

Thank you for providing examples of the ways in which the quiet, behind-the-scenes perseverance is what leads to the brave moments. I think most of us forget the practices of faithfulness that precede especially these rare public moments.

A Powerful and Challenging Book 📖

Thanks to Bishop Budde for helping us to examine how to love courageously in our daily lives. There's a lot of food for thought.

How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life

I picked up How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith after a conversation with my stepmother, who recently moved into a continuous care community. She mentioned feeling isolated when others talked about cultural icons she didn’t recognize. That moment reminded me of how easily we all live within our own ideological bubbles — and how rare it is to engage with a worldview different from our own.
Bishop Budde’s reflections encourage that kind of engagement. Her most powerful insight, for me, was that sometimes staying put—remaining rooted where you are—is the bravest act. Her story about caring for her aging mother especially resonated; my stepmother and I spent five years caring for my father together, learning to love each other despite our differences.
Budde writes with eloquence and compassion, weaving together personal stories, moments of doubt, and the changing life of The Episcopal Church.

One of the Bravest!

Bishop Budde is a very brave faith leader. Not long after she wrote this book, she spoke truth to power, directly and courageously, on January 21, 2025 from the Canterbury pulpit of the National Cathedral in Washington incurring the wrath of the newly inaugurated President of the United States who was seated just a few feet in front of her. This book will inspire its readers to join with her in raising their prophetic voices in defense of the poor, the marginalized, the “other”. Would that the 270 Catholic bishops in the United States, all of whom are male, would have just a modicum of her bravery to speak out collectively under the banner of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).