Ego Is the Enemy

If you are a fan of Ryan's work, you'll love Ego is the Enemy.

It is filled with stories, quotes, and anecdotes that offer actionable advice that I'm certain is relevant to anyone, no matter their age, experience, or industry.

There are few writers out there that I think weave together such a vast array of tales in a compelling way to drive home points that are often viewed as being uncomfortable.

This book will definitely challenge you and I hope you enjoy as much as I have!

I've lost a marriage, family, friends and numerous business opportunities as a result of ego. I wonder how history might have been different had I read this book earlier in my life and career. Ryan's style is very human. He mixes in examples and sources from history that makes for a very engaging reading experience. I'll not only read this several times I'm planning to give copies away.

A great book that has become one of my go-to books, which has found itself on the top shelf of a rather large bookshelf. I found myself many times, saying "I do this, or have done that". I have also read the Obstacle is the Way, which, too, has become of 20 go-to books.
Both books are very easy to ready and make it easy to read a chapter or two each morning, and then reflect during the day on what was said.
Thank you Ryan for taking the time and effort to write both. I also bought The Daily Stoic to ready each day throughout 2017.

Ego is the Enemy is a solid introduction to confronting ego. It distills the lessons of well-known icons but refreshingly includes lots of unfamiliar names and anecdotes.

As a young man striking early success and trying to find my way, this book guided my reflection on my ego. The chapter "Get Out Of Your Own Head" struck me most. I reflected on how I get absorbed by new ideas and endless possibilities. My mind dives into deep imagination and fantasy. After hours of self-congratulation for accomplishments for these thoughts, nothing's changed. The ideas are just that ideas - stuck in my head. Each chapter, like this one, is worthy of self-reflection and questioning your character.

And like his previous books, I'll be adding the contents of its bibliography to my shopping cart.

5/5

This was a fantastic book. I purchased the kindle and audio versions. There is a lot of really great information and being able to go back into the book and refer to specifics parts quickly makes a kindle/print version of the book indispensable for people who prefer listening the audio version. The audio version was great also because the author narrated. As a result, the delivery has the inflections that he intended when he wrote which is subtle but I think does add to the book. Overall, I thought it was great. I could have done without the Tim Ferris interview at the end. It feels like it is more about Tim Ferris and makes the book seem longer than it really is. They also definitely stretched the dead air between chapters on the audiobook for what I assume is the same reason. The material is so wonderful that little things like that to stretch out the run-time seem unnecessary.

Action packed book. Tons of awesome quotes: "Passion typically masks a weakness. Its breathlessness and impetuousness and franticness are poor substitutes for discipline, for mastery, for strength and purpose and perseverance. You need to be able to spot this in others and in yourself, because while the origins of passion may be earnest and good, its effects are comical and then monstrous." I loved the book it develops a lense that is necessary for success.

It is basically baby's first book of practical stoic philosophy. It does not really go into great depth and some of the individuals Holiday uses as examples are questionable. There are times were Holiday will bounce between several examples with little transition. It hurts the flow of the book and makes it seem disjointed. Given all the positive reviews I had expectations for this book. It did not meet them.

The main type of ego the stood out in part one aspire was To be or to do. In today's world there are so many examples of what it means to become successful. It seems as though there is already a crafted image of making it big. We want the image instead the deeds that will make a difference in the world which won't guarantee popularity and promotions.

What's important to you? Is one I will apply the most. I can see this one doing this or that and if I let my ego take over I will be doing just the same thing as these folks not even considering if that has anything to do with my purpose. Focus on my very own priorities and not to change direction or wanting more just to prove or show off to others.

Draw the line. It is really easy to fall in the traps of the ego. For me I need to always humble myself and not make a bad situation worst. Come to understanding in the middle of the ordeal to realize is this the man I want to be in the long run. Learn to walk away early enough to start over on another day.

Important issue, good illustrastions, however, all the content could be summarised in a single chapter. Too circular argument. More common sense than empirical evidente. If you like mind wondering you could enjoy the book.

There aren't many books that I finish reading and immediately wish I had thought of writing. This was one of them. The book is full of tweet-worthy quotes like "Ego is stolen. Confidence is earned." or "Impressing people is utterly different than being impressive." - and the format of the book mixes these pithy comments with stories from history of leaders who were able to manage their egos on their paths to greatness. It is hard to imagine a more timely topic for a book. We live in a time when big data inspired narcissism allows each of us to create our own versions of MEdia celebrating ourselves and reinforcing our own beliefs. In the backdrop we watch egomaniacal leaders battle for (or win) Presidencies in the US, Brazil, Philippines, Guatemala, Austria plus global sports organizations like FIFA and the list goes on.  At the same time, millions of millennials are entering the workforce with new expectations about the meaningfulness of work and their own places in it. Yes, all of this makes Ego Is The Enemy more than a well timed idea ... it manages to also offer exactly the sort of message more people need to hear. Perhaps the only thing holding the idea back is the unapproachable cover which belies the currency and relevance of the idea. Do not judge this rare and brilliant book by its underwhelming cover. To transform your thinking actually help you be better, Ego Is the Enemy may be the most important book you read this year.

Fantastic book. He says ... Success is intoxicating, but sobriety is required to sustain it. I certainly don't consider myself conceited, but everyone has an ego and I could trace many of my past mistakes to not managing myself as I would after reading the book. I wish I'd read this 20 years ago. I've read and enjoyed much of the success literature, but this is different. One of the best.

This book may find its place as the best go to book for professional team reading. It never came across as preachy, it made excellent professional points about the unseen benefits of getting rid of ego. It painted the concept so well, so clear to me, the idea that most of your life could be spent amiss chasing the seeds of your own ego rather than doing meaningful work. The writing in this book will stay with me for a long time.

I first heard about Ryan Holiday through the Tim Ferris podcast. Tim Ferris has a lot of novel ideas and his four hour work week book was good in its message but I thought it lacked structure and a little bit more professionalism. So why this relates to this book is because I thought it was going to be more of the same just from a different guy, but I gave it a try.

Admittedly I was wrong. Ryan has a very thorough concepts and they read so eloquently through the stories he shares. His examples were well thought out and I loved that he kept it short and too the point. Most of the books in this type of genre tend to lean toward platitudes and things you ought to do. Ryan was very clear with his message. Highly recommend it. I have gifted this book to three different people and they've loved it.

While I tend to agree with much of the content of the book, I constantly felt the need for more actual evidence or science behind why ego might be the enemy. I know this evidence is out there, but transparency of how the science is connected to Holiday's observations was lacking. Granted, he was upfront with why this is just his account of life and his views on ego, but you wouldn't know that prior to reading/buying. Not exactly a bait and switch, but it just could have been a more powerful book had it not been so dangerously close to an "I had success/failure so listen to me" appeal to authority type of tale. Given his first-hand account of the dangers of ego (which he defines in a very modern and agreeable way), I would expect a review of the scientific literature to paint a picture of the statistics and mechanism of the ego-failure. What is happening in our brain when we humble ourselves and why does this make us more resilient in the face of success/failure?

Overall, though, it's a great start to a very complex idea. If it can steer even a fraction of our toxic-masculinity-driven "be a man" American culture towards a more deliberate and rational future, I'm all for it.

This is Ryan's best book so far. It's really good. You should probably read it, especially if you ever get caught in your own head, have trouble following through with tough work, or read inspirational books. You're not as great (or horrible - depending on the day) as you think you are. We're all just doing our part and navigating life, but Ego is the Enemy will help you do it better and with more humility.

Stay objective, be real, don't listen to your stories.

First, Ryan Holiday is an excellent writer! This book is engaging, and the chapters are short. I've read it once, and am re-reading to pull out some things I want to consider more carefully. It will be appreciated by those who value self-reflection.

Ryan Holiday is undoubtedly one of the greatest modern thinkers of my generation. I have been a huge fan since I read "trust me I'm lying" - an analysis of the poorly aligned incentives that has created today's cancerous media (honestly this book should be required reading for everyone in western society)

Ego is the enemy is another instant classic. Ryan draws on the lessons from some of the human race's most successful people to teach us how to battle with the ego. It is useful for anyone trying to achieve anything at all (or who has achieved anything at all). Buy it immediately.

I read this with some hesitation. I am in a very ego centric place spiritually. Speaks volumes that I am aware of it. I was looking at a alternate view point to assess my life with. This book is fantastic in that it helped me see the other side of ego, the poisonous side. Strong recommend.

Be wary of these kinds of pocket-sized self-help books written by marketing gurus who know how to write a catchy title and emulate the greats (Carnegie's 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' comes to mind), but deliver nothing of substance.

Holiday fails to capture the reader's attention as he rolls out copy/pasted quotes from classical thinkers and weakly reasoned, blandly worded narrative threads that are connected with as much grace as a 5-year old learning to tie her shoes.

Unless you are absolutely new to the concepts of ego, self-improvement, self-esteem or self-awareness, there is little to be learned here. At best, you will be reminded of more well-thought-out, well-researched parts of better books you've read.

I was expecting an easy-to-read, well-informed guide to banishing ego. What I got was bland retreads of the work of better scholars, wrapped in a savvy marketer's poor excuse for self-depreciation. It's less a manual for improving the self than a pamphlet for a book a better researcher and writer could have produced.

The book points out the real impact that ego has in undermining our growth and happiness. It shines a light on attitudes and preconceptions that truly ambush our well being. Humility is definitely the answer... But I need to be asking the right questions. This book is a great guide.

I am not exaggerating when I say this book changed my life.

Ego is difficult to see. It is like fog that seems to dissipate when we try to examine it closely. We see it in other people, far away, but it is invisible at the parts closest to us. I always thought I kept my ego at a reasonable level. I was dead wrong. I never imagined that passion (energy without direction) could be ego telling you that you need only your emotion to succeed. In the past I had relationships where I wanted to save my then-girlfriend from her destructive side. After therapy I realized I couldn't, after this book, I realized it was not some incredible urge to help people, it was ego. I thought I could "save" her because I overestimated my own abilities.

Right now, the book has brought me a new peace of mind, being able to see where my ego caused arguments and anger, and thus letting go of it. In time, I know the productivity will follow, but for now I am content with the peace this book brought me.

Definitely did not live up to my expectations. Written for a much younger reader and could have all been written in one chapter. Did not finish the book, but will pick it up again and try to get through it.

Great book for people that are interested in this facet of their brain and in how it works. Once the reader sees how the ego works and how it was formed in the first place I'm sure he/she will start searching for something more reliable to replace it. Good Luck.

Ryan hits this one head on and articulates in a clear and detailed way of the ego. Anyone looking to grow and understand oneself, this is a must read on the list of personal development and could easily save months, if not years of personal torture in this messy existence we call life.

Ryan, Thank you for your diligent work on this one brother!

Patrick

4 stars , must read , but anyway I think though good important topic the book could be way shorter in order to discuss just this single topic. Yes fighting your ego is very important, during reading I have started noticing and fighting ego, but too much read, that is why 4 stars.

I just adore this book. So much fun to read. It'll change your life, but it's not preachy in the least. Every chapter is intersting. Holiday brings in so many fascinating short biographies to keep each chapter fresh. You'll love this little book.

Ryan Holiday has knocked this out of the ballpark. Without being preachy, overly esoteric, or too psychologically arcane, this book introduces and then guides the reader through the murky, easily obscured domain of the ego in all its vicissitudes.

This is Ryan's best written work. It's filled with actionable advice and relatable stories that I will draw on for years to come. It's the kind of book that will get you to start questioning your actions and values in a positive way.

I tend to measure a book based on its length:value ratio. This one could have been twice as long with the same amount of value and I would have still given 5 stars.

This is one of the finest resources I have ever read instructing wise strategies for life success and good character development. I so wish this resource had been available in my early '20s! Read this and become a much better, more stable and more productive person ... with more positive outcomes in your life!

For anyone who aspires to be successful, at any stage of their journey. I'm thankful I read this book now, before it was absolutely needed, or too late. This is exactly what is needed to keep you grounded, and remind you that indeed, your "Ego is the Enemy".

Ego is the Enemy contains some timeless lessons about what it takes to get to the top, stay at the top, and deal with the failures that life will inevitably bring to all of us. By drawing from the lives of some of history's great leaders (and flame-outs, to serve as cautionary tales), Holiday has put together a book that's concise yet packed with insight.

Amazing book. I learned so much and it was a pleasure reading it. So much info, so many epiphanies. It was so lively and I feel like I am richer in experiences having read this book. I am so grateful for this book.

Very interesting book. Ryan Holland eloquently laid out the case why our ego can be the barrier to anything we are doing in life. This book has completely changed the way I live my life daily. If you enjoy philosophy, and most especially Stoicism, and want to break free from the shackles of ego and its devastating consequences, then I seriously recommend this bool.

As Ryan states, we inevitably find ourselves in one of three stages of the ego... Aspiration, success, and failure... So it follows that this book found its way onto my kindle at a time when I needed it most.

A great read for anyone facing challenges in their creative and working lives. Highly recommend.

Overall the book is good, especially for those who do not have a lot of reading in the realm of self-help books.
However, many times the author repeats himself unnecessarily, as if the reader could not get the point.
Besides, some of the arguments about the historical figures seem unsubstantiated and not researched enough - for example:
What if Howard Hughes was repeatedly sabotaged behind the scenes and what if his descent into madness was due to someone putting into his food/drink mind-altering substances ?! This scenario is not that much inconceivable! People usually have a quick glance at the surface but things are rarely what they seem!
And finally, ego could hardly be isolated as a single factor that hinders/or contribute (depending on the pint of view) to success.
Success is usually a multi-colored tapestry - many factors contribute to it. I would never forget one TV advertisement by BMW or Mercedes (I can not exactly remember, it was many years ago). The advertisement was something along the lines (reciting from memory, so it is not precisely word for word, but the spirit of the message is the same):
What makes our new car so appealing and unique:
# The new engine with such and such parameters? - No!
# The new steering with this and that characteristics? - No!
# The new brake system with such and such functions? - No!
# The new safety measures that has this and that? - No!
# The new chassis that includes this and that? - No!
All this together!!!

I love Ryan's writing and his perspective on life. This book was really well-written and well researched. The anecdotes alone taught me a lot, but hearing Ryan's perspective on balancing success with ego was truly helpful.

A thoughtful, well written book on the dangers of ego in various settings which will apply to and leave an impact on any reader. The author includes a number of interesting and relevant historical models for the concepts that he presents. Well worth the $ and time.

This book brought me a lot of calm. Ryan does an incredible job of explaining emotions, ideas & principles with historical examples and then simplifying them to obvious strings of thought provoking sentences.

I'd recommend this book to a friend. Simply because I feel that I'd be short changing them if I did not.

This book is awesome. It has completely changed how I approach my job and it's already been paying off huge dividends.
That aside, this is a humbling and inspiring read without getting hoakey at all. I would recommend it to everyone

Like Obstacle is the Way, this book was a compilation of anecdotes to emphasize a theme. This book seemed to come to a few different useful points, though, while Obstacle drove home one.

While the last section of the book felt a little rushed, I will re read this book and recommend it to friends. Thanks, Ryan.

The key principles of this book were helpful for me because sometimes my ego grows a little larger than I'd like and needs to trimmed back some. The author looks at ego from different perspectives, which is helpful for we who need to "step out of the story" we've been telling ourselves, whether we are young and eager to move ahead, are veteran experts who think we've seen and learned it all, or are somewhere in between. Still, I didn't find the book as compelling a read as I'd expected after reading a blog post about the book. If I could change something to improve the book, I'd rather that it have a tone that challenges me to think hard about my view of myself, to question my behavior, ask about my actions and motivations that tie to my ego, and give me stronger advice on how to subdue my ego when it needs subduing. The title "Ego Is the Enemy" is a bit provocative, but pushing it in a way that says "YOUR Ego Is YOUR Enemy" may have kept me more engaged. (Wait! What does this review say about my ego?)

I read "The Obstacle is the Way" and loved it. This is a great addition. There are gems throughout. After reading I have gave a lot of thought to my actions and how they correspond with my co-workers.

Rather than relying on cliches or tired truisms, Ryan pulls principals out of stories of real human lives. This makes his advice and thoughts much more relatable, practical, and realistic than other writers'.

Always a fan of overcoming my personal obstacles, finding new ways to subdue my ego, and grow, I was excited to read this book recommended to me by my guitar teacher. While I appreciate the philosophical anecdotes and stories of famous and not so famous successes and work ethics, I found the author’s thesis to be confusing and aggressive. His definition of what an ego is incomplete and perhaps a bit philosophically dangerous... he is describing what an iteration of what an ego can be: arrogant, superior, haughty, self-aggrandizing. Without getting into taboo spiritual territory, fundamentally, ego is fear, fear of being hurt, and fear of losing control and being obliterated, and the ego is the defenses we build up to protect our vulnerabilities, which ultimately is a fear of being unworthy or not loved, and so can manifest in many ways depending on your history, gender, and culture. So it’s not all about thinking you’re special, sometimes it can manifest in the opposite. One thing is clear, the author is describing HIS ego and perhaps the ego of his former employers, and what seems to be some power hungry narcissistic men and women he’s encountered. The certitude in which he seems to rebuke and critique people in the book makes it clear to me he has a long way to go in taming his own, VERY MALE ego. Over and over he commands that people avoid emotions, passions, and embrace the rational, not realizing this is a form of egotism and control, and incredibly masculine. A lot of men’s egos would be tamed if they actually allowed for emotions to process, flow, evolve, because that’s exposing the vulnerabilities the egos are trying so hard to protect. This is so important and this book bums me out, because I can see a bunch of young dudes going around espousing dispassion and crapping on people (women, the others) who attempt to love themselves in a world that is constantly seeking to critique them and say they’re wrong for experiencing life differently.

If the author ever reads this: you’re right, the ego is the enemy, but perhaps even the combative, war-like language is creating division in you. Also, the reason why so much of self-help culture is about telling people they’re special, unique, important, interesting, etc., is because we live in a world where so many things tell so many people they’re utterly worthless and outside of what’s acceptable, and seeks to divide us from ourselves. So many people have been abused by the world and separated from love, and this creates alienation and pain (another definition of ego could probably be alienation.) Part of actually being able to fulfill your purpose in this world is believing you’re even allowed to have a purpose, which is hard if you do not see yourself reflected in the status quo or believe you’re too worthless to be admitted into society. Loving yourself, accepting your existence for what it is, celebrating you life, and believing you belong is actually a form of subduing the ego that says you’re separate. If you can rest in this peace at all times, then you are able to be “dispassionate,” ride the ups and downs, and get down to your work. I think you are special, and important, and worthy of being loved. If you can believe that without the necessity of the worldly successes, then you may understand what subduing the ego really is all about. Xoxo

This book is so incredibly poorly written and supercilious that I scarcely know where to begin. It's like it was written to support a TEDx talk. And how much ego does it require for an author to explain that ego is our enemy? Holiday attempts to explain this away in the introduction, and fails. He comes across as bombastic and pretentious in what I'd call a "booklet." The work is 200 pages on 5X7 stock, with a LOT of white space. Chapters are all about six pages, leading me to believe he simply created a template for the content and filled it—unsuccessfully.

Worse, he distorts history. All of his examples are ancient—Eisenhower, Genghis Khan, Howard Hughes, ad infinitum. (Another annoying habit he has is that he sprinkles Latin phrases all over which he then interprets, as if the reader won't understand them unless the teacher explains. How's that for ego?) He cites General George McClellan of the Union forces as "perhaps the worst of all Union generals" (McDowell, Hooker, Burnside, and others had far worse records) yet McClellan WON the battle of Antietam which enabled Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation! In another passage he tells us that Alexander the Great (one of his favorite bad examples of ego) was "probably killed by dissenting soldiers." Yet every scholarly study I've seen supports disease—typhoid or malaria—as the probable cause.

This is the way he simply bends facts to fit his dubious points. The book has no index. You can't tell (or read, or find) when and who he introduces in what context, and it has ZERO SOURCES. He uses scores of stories with no indication that they're really or where he got them, as if he were talking to Jackie Robinson. He conveniently uses General George Marshall as an example of small ego and success during WW II, but readily ignores his counterpart, Admiral Ernest King, Chief of Naval Operations, who had a huge, irascible ego according to every biography, yet is credited with winning the war in the Pacific. This is the kind of non-academic, dubious "research" that went into this book. Holiday is entitled to his own opinions and guesses, but not to his own history and facts. And the books is chock full of those kind of embarrassments.

Then there are the totally jarring, unnecessary obscenities, the gross profanity and assorted street talk, in the same paragraphs as Greek philosophers, as if to say, "See, I'm really cool and one of the guys." I get the impression he'd have a baseball cap on backwards as he wrote this.

I also get the impression that Holiday surrounded himself with philosophy, history, and biographical books and cherry-picked (or had someone else cherry -pick) quotes that supported his points, no matter what the surrounding context. It would be like my finding a quote by Peter Drucker that included "Ridiculous," then writing about strategy and stating, "As Drucker said about it, 'Ridiculous'!" (He actually explains who Peter Drucker and Genghis Khan were, but drops in people like Flannery O'Connor without any introduction at all (American writer born in 1925).

The entire book simply keeps repeating itself that "ego is bad, lack of ego is good." He stomps all over John DeLorean, but won't mention Elon Musk. In fact, all of his examples are so old that you begin to choke on the dust. He actually maintains that Steve Jobs's ego changed after he returned to Apple, which is counter to everything I've read in the press and in Isaacson's brilliant biography of him.

This book was written to make money, in my view, not to inform or help others improve. It's a one-trick pony without any substantiating evidence or sources for the author's simplistic notions of ego. He has the usual accumulation of testimonials over several pages at the outset, as if to try to prove that somehow what follows is respectable intellect. I wonder how many of those people read the book?

I’d rate this as Facebook Light.

Ryan Holiday is fast becoming my favorite author, tons of great wisdom for entrepreneurs or anyone trying to make a dent in the world. First heard about him on the Tim Ferriss podcast, another great resource I would recommend.

Having read Holiday's previous work, I feel that this is a book he felt he had to write for one audience: himself. You get this feeling as you read the book and Holiday has stated as much in recent interviews. While the information does have application outside the target audience, I felt as if Ryan wrote the book to remind and ground himself in his Stoicism, not necessarily to appeal to others. It's an OK read, I much prefer The Obstacle is the Way, as I feel it deals with the core subject in a better manner than Ego...

Caution! This so called hardback book (and a correspondingly high hardback price) is a dinky little paperback sized miniature. Don't be fooled like I was. This is apparently a new con by authors and publishers to gouge profits. They place hard covers on paperback quality books and charge $17 or more. The letter type is small, like #8 font, very hard to hold and read. And the print ink quality is equally poor. The other Ryan Holiday book I bought was the same. VERY disappointed and upset... a genuine scam.

The main point of this book is that ego gets in the way of success, personal growth, and doing seriously good work. In just over 200 smallish pages, Holiday defends his point with various examples and explanations.

There are three main parts to the book: 1) Aspire, 2) Success, and 3) Failure. Holiday explains how the ego can ruin aspiration and success, and how it can get in the way of learning from failure. He also notes that these three things happen to everyone, so if we can subdue ego in and through them, it'll help make us grow. (As a side there is some cussing, so it's probably not for kids.)

I do agree with the basic premise of this book: a narcissist is his own greatest enemy. A big head means a big fall. I enjoyed many of the quotes Holiday used from various people throughout history. A few examples: "It is impossible to learn that which one thinks one already knows" (Epictetus). "When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win" (Bill Bradley). "People learn from their failures. Seldom do they learn anything from success" (Harold Geneen).

I also agreed with Holiday's points about always being a student, of not just talking, but doing, and realizing one is tiny in the big scheme of things. The reason I gave the book 3 stars (which means "average") was because there was quite a bit of repetition and similar statements. I found myself saying, "He's said this already," or "He could have said that in 1 page instead of 4." The repetition also made the book sort of run together, so even though there were 3 parts, they sounded similar. Because of this, I underlined and highlighted the first part of the book a lot, the second part a little, and the third part I didn't highlight much at all.

In summary, this is a helpful book for dealing with ego and keeping it in place. It wasn't my favorite book on the topic, but it was informative.

I wanted to like this book, but I feel the author’s core message is fundamentally flawed. The message of ‘reduce your ego, this is the way to success in the long term,’ is completely misleading.

I’m not implying that being a tyrant who disregards or disrespects others is the key to success. I personally can’t stand these characteristics. What I AM implying is:

1. If the book is meaning to give advice on achieving external success, the readers are being misled. At the core of everyone that has spent time honing their skills, who has spent decades in a career, who has become great at something, there is a strong focus on self. I need time for ME to practice or learn, I need a better job because this one isn’t a great opportunity for ME, I believe in MY ability to accomplish things… These people are having to say no to a lot of things that don’t contribute to that picture - they are cutting other people out frequently to make time for themselves. They are having to put themselves before others in a competitive environment to take advantage of opportunities. This may or may not be done disrespectfully… The book uses an example of two Civil War generals: Sherman and Grant, citing some decisions each of them made along the way that supposedly indicates Sherman had little ego and grant had plenty of ego. Both Civil war generals cited in this book actually spent a lot of time focusing on themselves in order to become skilled at their jobs, they needed a strong sense of self to realize the responsibility of potentially ordering men to their deaths. While Sherman may have made some responsible decisions along the way, such as offering a high-responsibility battle to more well-equipped officers, this doesn’t imply that he didn’t have a strong sense of self worth and importance… Many real-world examples disagree as well. Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, is publicly known for expressing strong self-importance, and the world is a better place for it.
2. Regardless of the actual argument of the book, Ryan Holiday’s subjects are outlined in ways that are potentially incorrect. He takes stances that are not clearly supported in history, and he doesn’t cite sources that support those claims… Who gave the information suggesting Howard Hughes was a bad character? Who says Grant was corrupt for moving into Politics? Where are they getting this information anyways? It’s unlikely anyone is going to get to the root of exactly who those people were unless they personally knew them very well... There is a lot of potential misinformation in this book.
3. Let’s say Ryan Holiday is actually arguing that traits we all consider to be bad don’t lead to success. This argument is incorrect and not supported in evidence… While we all might dislike people who are disrespectful, ignorant, mentally unstable, and rude, there isn’t much strong evidence to indicate that successful people are devoid from these traits. In reality, it seems that successful people share a pretty mixed-bag of both good and bad traits. Kanye West is often rude, but generally does well for himself and has contributed a lot to pop culture.

Perhaps the author was trying to suggest that thinking of ‘me me me’ is a path of suffering. This is akin to the Buddhist mindset: meditate and learn to achieve happiness regardless of the external or internal circumstances. If that’s the case, Siddhartha Gautama did a tenfold better job 2500 years ago at not only making this observation, but in creating an entire practice that successfully led people thru a system that helped them (Buddhism). That said, there is no evidence to indicate a correlation between internal happiness and external success. To put that in context of the book, the lack of suffering does not imply you will rise in the ranks and become an army general, and the presence of suffering does not imply that you will fail to rise in the ranks. There may be some relation between the two, but no one has proved it, and of the people I know I see no correlation.

And if you’re seeking an external form of accomplishments and success, maybe think about how much you need to improve your skills, how much you need to network, how you need to cut out the bad influences from your life, how you need to focus and say no to a lot of the things that will come across your plate. There is no way you will accomplish things without feeling important enough that you will focus on yourself.

Take your fifteen bucks and find a book with accurate evidence, at a minimum. If I hadn’t bought the kindle version I’d be wiping my ass with my copy… One star for provoking thought and leading me to stir-up some old ideas I hadn’t touched for a while.

There's one part of the book that's a huge joke. It states that you're duties should be more important than everything else. Unless you're a doctor, war leader, or pastor this is not applicable. The rest of us do things for recognition, money, power, etc. This book is almost as bad as "How to Make Friends and Influence People."

I'm beginning to realize a lot of these self help empowerment books are FLUFF. I used to be envious of people who read these books. I now see I wasn't missing out on much.

Also, I'm tired of books that use historical figures to back up they're theories. Lincoln was this. Ben Franklin was like this. Martin Luther King was like that. It's a very overused style of writing. I'd prefer if the author used personal figures instead.You know someone, you met with personally and saw first hand how they behaved.

Not sure why this book has such a big rating: it's just a personal opinion not based on any research with lots of repetition and cherry-picked examples. Basically everything you typically would like to avoid in a book. It would be tolerable if it had any useful information, but a lot of opinion based on nothing is all you are really getting.

I think 3 stars is rather generous for this book.

Where do I start? If you're like me you are looking to read to learn ways to improve your life or learn unique perspectives that could be useful.

This book takes the premise that you can randomly search people's lives for random examples that fit your thesis and then determine that your thesis is truth.

Like the "don't be passionate" chapter in part 1. John Wooden wasn't passionate because one guy said he was dispassionate. Look how successful he was. George Bush and Cheney were passionate about the Iraq war, look what happened. (This is almost a word for word quote from the book, it literally references Bush in 1 line and states that his passion led to his folly without even briefly attempting to explain why he was or wasn't passionate).

Hence, we all shouldn't be passionate. Of course you have to define your terms in the right way to make sense. Passion = over eager, ready to make mistakes, over energetic causing poor judgement. Lol. Since when can we completely change the definitions of words to make points?

Of course this is only a few examples, but this is essentially the book. Take random events from people's lives, connect it to your idea - then use their entire life as a warning or example to prove your point. It's disingenuous as you over simplify someone's story by shortening it to a few paragraphs or even an entire war to a single sentence. If we are to learn from the lives of great men or men who failed, it's probably better to get a biography and get a full picture. Using Ben Franklin as an anti-Ego hero over simplifies his life story into a few paragraphs. The same with Jackie Robinson. The truth is, you don't really know if these people truly agreed with the philosophy the author is putting forth, he's merely taking a handful of anecdotes to create data.

I would pass on books like this. They may seem helpful and wise, but it's all made up by a guy who is a professional salesperson. He has taken the form of Robert Greene, find a dozen of so stories of people who are ___________ and use their stories to create a book on __________. Then use random examples to make points and explain truths.

I think there are better ways to learn how to improve your life. Books like Grit by Angela Ducksworth was very good. It uses real research and presents data on how people are becoming excellent at things.

While there is some good advice in this book - it's all opinion from the author who is primarily now an author - which means he just reads stuff and then tries to sell people the stuff he's reading.

You know what? I'd read books from people that either have real evidence (like the Grit book above or Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Ericson). Or if I liked technology, I'd read Elon Musk's bio by Vance or if you want to be a writer read about the people who were exceptional writers).

This book is a study of random other books and random other stories. I say random because each story lasts anywhere from a sentence to a page or two. What type of mastery or picture will you gain from that. It's the lazy man's way to enlightenment.

I would have NOT finished this book normally... but the book I just finished (Grit) showed real data on how people with Passion and Perseverance are much more successful than everyone else. And part of the character traits that show Grit is finishing everything you start. So I regrettably am finishing this book because I started it, but it's full of anecdotes and the plural of anecdotes isn't data.

This book is the Tim Ferriss hype machine. I used to thoroughly enjoy Tim Ferriss until he turned into a marketer more than a seeker of good ideas. He now exists to peddle goods / services to his many followers online. Try to see an email where he isn't either selling you something or introducing you to someone who is selling you something. It's literally EVERY email. This book is full of 5 star reviews because many of these people are part of this hype train.

It's not excellent work built on years of thought and research or years of practice. These are items made to sell you stuff and make the authors / producers richer. There are so many better materials out there to learn how to improve your life or have a better mindset. This book is at best a series of moderately helpful blog posts, it's certainly not a worthwhile read.

There are so many epoused truths without any true backing - all opinion and the funny thing is, the author could make the exact opposite points and probably use the same people to make his points, just write differently. For example, "Don't Be Passionate" - Michael Jordan was one of the most passionate people about playing basketball, Elon Musk is one of the most passionate people about making a difference in the world via technology, Steve Jobs was one of the most passionate people about creating products that are exceptional for people. I know I've come back to this point time and time again, but I've read biographies on each of the previous 3 people and could contrast simple arguments to many of the KEY ideas in this book. It's all made up stuff and you have to wonder if you want Ryan Holiday - a guy who seems to have random business success in a world where business success is really just social skills, confidence and good looks (want some more data? Go read the book "Quiet" which has loads of data on how social skills, good looks and confidence sell people stuff and give them false security on things that are completely wrong - we are so easily deceived as humans). The point is, following Ryan Holiday as a person who really is just a seller of ideas now - do that at your own peril. He doesn't produce any goods or provide invaluable service - he creates and sells ideas, he's a marketer. This book is just a book about marketing random ideas to create a philosophy that will not stand the tests of time.

I would pass on this. Find a better book.

Content of this audiobook is great but Ryan Holiday should practice what he preaches and he should subdue his own ego and not to read his own book. His voice is montnous and sounds like it was recorded on a laptop. He sounds like a high school kid reading in front of the class because the teacher made him do it. So 5 star for content but 3 star for delivery.

After reading this book's chapter about John Boyd I read a biography of John Boyd, the Korean War fighter pilot who figured out the physics of fighter aircraft, designed the F-16, and changed Air Force thinking that bigger, more complex, more expensive airplanes are better than small, simpler airplanes. Holiday describes Boyd as a modest, ego-less monk who lived a spartan life in a small apartment, and told younger pilots to make a choice between being somebody or doing something. But the biography of Boyd portrays him as an egotistical bully who had to win every confrontation, needlessly making enemies and even endangering people's lives. His signature move was to poke his burning cigars through the ties of generals who disagreed with him. He lived in a small apartment in a run-down neighborhood for 22 years--with his wife and five children, one of whom was in a wheelchair from polio. His children hated the apartment and became estranged from him.

Holiday doesn't get his facts right in "Ego Is the Enemy." If he had he would have seen that Boyd couldn't have accomplished what he did without his ego. For a major to bully generals into doing the right thing, against the ossified traditions of the Air Force, requires a huge ego. George Bernard Shaw said, "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." Holiday's book teaches how to be a reasonable person, with many examples of egotistical people making big mistakes. He leaves out examples of egotistical people succeeding in changing the world for the better or, in the case of John Boyd, takes such a story and changes it to sound like Boyd was non-egotistical.

This book is so terrible that I nearly threw it against the wall after the prologue. I am generally a fan of Holiday's books, however he is criminally misinformed on the role of ego and the ideas he proposes in the book are downright dangerous. In Holiday's world, we'd all be a bunch of lifeless innovators with no sense of self-worth, identity, pride or confidence since we have worked so hard to erase these areas of our psyche that are paramount to our general wellbeing. The author erroneously conflates "ego" with hubris, or an overabundance of misguided ego that is indeed counterproductive, but hardly mentioned in the book if at all. Ego itself is not the enemy; hubris is. Of course we should always be seeking to tame our ego lest it turn to hubris or some other mutation, but to kill it completely as the author irresponsibly suggests is a step toward making us less human. Holiday goes on to suggest that we should replace the ego with humility. Give me a break. While humility, like ego, is also critical to our wellbeing, we should not seek to completely replace one with the other. A balance of the two is critical and in fact should be pursued. This book may help the top 1% of the most crazed egomaniacs among us, but for the rest of us it's a colossal waste of time and ultimately bad advice. I will be returning it to the store if it doesn't end up in a bonfire before that.

The Obstacle is the way is a great book.

Ego Is The Enemy is not.

Instead of insightful, pragmatic advice this book has the feel and tone of "Ryan's Rants". The tight connections between historical examples and practical advice was severely lacking and made it feel like Ryan was projecting ego or the lack thereof in order to make his convulded point.

Ryan Holiday is more hustler, less writer. He disguises himself as the store customer and writes his own 5 star reviews, besides using virtual assistants from third world countries to add volume. Check out the reviews on his first book "Trust me, I am lying" where his clandestine profiles have been been outed by the store readers. He uses his pedestrian cunning to promote other struggling writers (for a fee, of course), who then look out for each other on social media. As soon as there is a poor review, someone from the 'network' swoops down and posts a comment negating that poor review. It's a well oiled network. Quite oily, in fact. Stay away from anyone and anything associated with "Ryan Holiday".

This is one of the most necessary books today. With the pressure for a narcissist lifestyle, from Facebook, Instagram instant messaging to your Resume and business cards. We are stuck in the throws of self promotion and egomania and ego protection. Everyone has an ego, and those who do not believe this truth, are the most blinded themselves. This book can be transformational for all ages and lifestyles. Is is inspirational and transformational, focus on substance, and not on image. Character is more important than making a name for yourself "Impressing people is utterly different from being truly impressive." The author writes "It is impossible to learn that which one thinks one already knows,” Epictetus says. Put your ego aside for 6 hours and you might find your highest purpose is not be promote a better you but to become a better and Truer you, and of course you might discover it will take humility and gratitude to accomplish this He draws on historical figures and pull back the veil to see what went on behind the curtains and the devastation that egos wrecked in their lives and those around them. Ego is probably one of the most destructive forces in the world today but it does not have to be. Our lives viewed as a life of service to others and not as getting others to serve us can help us truly transform ourselves, our circle, our community and ultimately affect the destiny of our society. Read it, listen to it and you might see some truths exposed.

This would be the first book I've read by Ryan Holiday and I must say I am quite impressed by his writing. Upon reading the first few chapters I was reluctant to put this book down and was fascinated by the thoughts discussed in his book. As a 22 year old who is about to graduate from school, this book really made me think and reevaluate the decisions I've made up to this point in my life. The arrogance that has developed throughout my academic career from what is perceived as success and the constant praise received has left me filled with ego. Ryan's book reminded me that at some point along the line I let ego consume me in a passive manner. I would feign humility in public, but in reality I would think to myself how awesome I am and expect the continual ride of success.

I am glad to have caught this slippery train of thought early on in my career and will consider the decisions I make going forward with more care. Reading Ego is the Enemy makes you realize, this is something that has persisted since ancient times and many have succeeded in tempering their ego, while many have let themselves become consumed. I've had my fair share of thoughts of revenge and now looking back I find it quite silly to have even wasted my energy on something so petty.

In this world your situation is often not as unique as you may think in your mind. These cognitive distortions are the things that lead to you perceiving yourself worse off than you actually are or what create your visions of grandeur.

I was quite fortunate to receive this book from a GoodReads give away Ryan Holiday had set up. I originally heard about this book through a podcast and became curious about this book and happened to stumble upon this give away.

I just don’t have that alpha personality. It seems like everywhere you look today there are people lauding their abilities. Constantly bringing up the fact that they are correct, that they are the best, that you watch them. Contemporary culture trains us to seek fame. I can’t do that, I am not wired that way, it actually sort of pains me, when I have an assignment or some sort of task that requires me to take on that persona.

Hence, why I was so glad to get a chance to read Ryan Holiday’s “Ego is the Enemy”. In this small but dense tome, Holiday explores examples, from historical figures, from literary characters in novels, and even concepts from ancient Greek philosophy where people put their “ego” aside and do great, historic things.

The book is not a giant tome, and it can be read rather quickly and easily, but I think this is really a text you want to take your time with and perhaps even write down some notes. Even when reading it slowly, I would find myself finishing a chapter and then going back to re-read section, to underline passages and make margin notes. In other words this book is just full of little golden passages that you will want to remember and apply.

So you can read this quickly if you want and get the feeling of the author’s premise, or you can take your time and really dig into some great ideas and philosophy about the way one approach life, their work and their passion. Overall I highly recommend this book, especially for the quiet ones like me.

"Every day for the rest of your life you will find yourself at one of three phases: aspiration, success, failure. You will battle the ego in each of them. You will make mistakes in each of them," writes author Ryan Holiday. Ego, he defines, as an "unhealthy belief in your own importance". The goal of this book? Holiday writes: "you will think less of yourself". Humility, Holiday believes, liberates you "to accomplish the world-changing work you've set out to achieve."

The book is divided into the three phases: aspiration, success and failure. Lessons on managing your ego - and examples of those who did and didn't - in each of these stages are discussed. The aspire section would be excellent for young people just starting out in life. There's this apt quote: "Whom the gods wish to destroy they first call promising," Cyril Connolly. Some lessons Holiday recommends when you're aspiring: talk less and do more, become a student - keep learning, don't be passionate as passion can blind you - substitute purpose for passion, find canvases other people can paint on too, be willing to do humble work - after all, the person who clears the path ultimately controls its direction, restrain yourself - example of Jackie Robinson who made the commitment never to take offense at racist treatment, and get out of your own head.

One quote I liked in this section: "Imagine if for every person you met, you thought of some way to help them, something you could do for them."

The success section discussed the "golden mean" and temperance. "Courage...lies between cowardice on one end and recklessness on the other." "Generosity must stop short of either profligacy and parsimony...." Holiday gives the example of two world conquerors, Alexander the Great and Napoleon, who overreached. He advises discerning what's important to you and focusing on that. George Marshall, of the Marshall Plan, was focused on the work, not himself and it's clear his lack of ego helped him, and those around him, to function at a high level.

I enjoyed the section on failure the most, as you don't read many books on failure. And we all have to deal with it, and don't have the tools to do so. This section offers some up. "Maintain your own scorecard" is a wise lesson - don't let others define your success. While it's fine to want financial success, career success etc., Holiday advocates want to be a better person, a more content person, and a more humble and selfless person. Change the definition of success.

An aspect of humility which is potent is that if you believe that we have access to unlimited intelligence which has a divine source, humility allows you to access it more. The new bio-physics believes that Consciousness underlies everything. If we think we have a human, limited brain we work within limits. But acknowledging, and listening for, direction or thoughts from the intelligent, infinite consciousness of the universe, we should be able to function at a higher level. Jesus profoundly said, "I can of mine own self do nothing." And "the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works." There were many creatives who felt their inspiration came from a divine source - humility allows you to be a better transparency for that source. Humility's power may allow you to be the image and likeness of God. The author doesn't venture into this spiritual territory, but for those who believe in spirituality, humility and lack of ego, magnifies divine power in your life. It's a spiritual paradox and irony that humility actually helps you be greater and more unlimited in expression of talents.

The author speaks from his own life lessons as he has experienced great success and failures. He says he wishes a book like this one had existed at critical turning points in his life. Humility isn't a virtue most of us aspire to. This book convinces persuasively why we should.

There are two serious things wrong with this book, and yet it is well worth reading. But it is a real pity that it is worth reading despite the shortfallings.

The first thing is the (apparent) regrettable inability of Mr. Holiday to see past his political persuasion when choosing examples to illustrate his points. He has only glowing encomiums for Angela Merkel, but does not even remember Margaret Thatcher, just to cite one example of many. And when he does recall one person of conservative philosophical orientation - Churchill - he is quick to apologize for even having brought up the example, despite having spent less than a paragraph talking about him, as compared to pages talking about Merkel, who, for all she is admirable, cannot dream of reaching Churchill's level. My problem here is not the injustice done to conservatives, but the fact that Mr. Holiday almost certainly isn't even aware of this partiality, and appears to have blindly bought into the progressivist caricature without questioning its validity. What this says about his capacity for objectivity and critical analysis is what raises serious questions about the value of his thoughts as a contemplative and intelligent writer. Which is a pity indeed, since, as I said, the book is very much worth reading, but it is DESPITE Mr. Holiday's (almost certainly unintentional) political blinkers.

The second point is less a criticism, and more a suggestion. Whereas Mr. Holiday is indeed responsible for his apparent intellectual inability to overcome a contemporary political narrative that is clearly a caricature, he can hardly be blamed for the following.

Mr. Holiday uses the term 'ego', and he takes the time to clarify the use of the term in the last part of the audiobook, in an interview with Tim Ferris. Although psychologists might take umbrage at his use of the term, it is clear that he is not trying to hijack a technical term, but merely looking for a term that carries the meaning he (successfully) works to convey. The problem is that 'ego' - in the non-technical use that Mr. Holiday employs - has a severe limitation. There is no opposing concept for 'ego' unless it is 'death'. And since there is no opposite, by using this term Mr. Holiday has allowed inadequate semantics to impose a badly limited narrative, which is revealed in how hard he has to work to find a cure for ego. In other words, he manages to shed a piercing light on the problem (laudably so, which is what makes the book well worth the price and time), but the solutions are very unsatisfying. My suggestion - and one I am well aware will not be philosophically acceptable to a significant majority of Mr. Holiday's readers - is that instead of using the concept of 'ego', he use the concept 'fear of man'. For where 'ego' has no opposing concept, and, hence, no direct antidote, 'fear of man' does have an opposing concept, and therefore a clear and applicable antidote. The opposite of 'fear of man' is 'fear of God'.

Yes, yes. I know that 90% of the people reading this (if anyone does, of course) just slapped the emergency shutdown button. Too bad.

For those who did not (if any): Fear of Man is most clearly manifest in struggling to live in a way that appeases the view that we think others have of us, instead of doing what we think is objectively right. Fear of God is living in a way that seeks to obtain God's approval, whether or not this pleases other people.

This is an important book, especially in the age of social media abuse. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., too many people focus more on building a following or getting famous than on creating work of true merit and lasting value. We live in a nation of time wasters who scroll through other people's Facebook updates and post countless selfies. As the author points out, it's easy for just about anyone to get attention for posting photos of what they ate for lunch in a popular restaurant. Why are we satisfied with so little, and why have we gotten so lazy? Something's gotta change. I heard Holiday talking about this book on NPR, and had to get it. I wasn't disappointed.

The author cites numerous examples from history and current events to illustrate how the greatest contributors to our culture are the diligent people who work hard to achieve worthy goals -- and pay less attention to how much attention they are getting. For the truly great, fame is a byproduct, not the goal.

With so much blatant narcissism infecting my own friends and colleagues, I am grateful for this book. But I wonder if the people who really need it will read it.

I think we’ve all known or observed someone who was a little too full of themselves take a tumble. We often acknowledge – most of the time a little too gleefully – that their ego finally caught up with them. We tend to think that ego problems are only for those larger than life individuals with an inflated view of their self-importance.

Ryan Holiday, author of Ego is the Enemy, does an excellent job of showing how average people are impacted by ego. There is a quote by Richard Feynman at the beginning of the book, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool.” Unfortunately, when it comes to our own behavior, we simply cannot look objectively at what we do.

The book is divided into three parts. Part One is Aspire, Part Two is Success and Part Three is Failure. Mr. Holiday summarizes the concepts in three short bullet points. We should be 1) Humble in our aspirations 2) Gracious in our success and 3) Resilient in our failures.

Most people do not believe their ego presents an obstacle to a successful life. We tend to think it is only those outrageously ambitious people that need to rein in their ego. But as Mr. Holiday shows, “Our cultural values almost try to make us dependent on validation, entitles and rules by our emotions.” We all are in danger from being ruled (and ruined) by our egos.

There are many examples of highly successful lives and careers. The central theme is that success was not driven by ego or desire for recognition. Success was driven by attention to doing the job right. Mr. Holiday reminds us of the success that John Wooden had with UCLA and that Bill Walsh had with the 49ers. Their stories along with many others, illustrate the principles Mr. Holiday is sharing.

The final part – Failures – deals with the inevitable failure that most people will experience at some point or other in their lives. When we get our identity tied up with our work, we worry about what failure will say about us as a person. There the author has some excellent words of wisdom, “Failure sucks. Deal with it. With dignity and self-respect.”

Mr. Holiday is an excellent writer. The book pulls you in, the stories are highly engaging. The wisdom is unmistakable. It is an excellent reminder for everyone. Ego is the Enemy.

Another look at philosophy through the eyes of Ryan Holiday, this time without the singular Stoic focus. This book was a strong reminder that while ego gets much of the attention it isn not always your friend. This book is well written and includes valuable references to history and people to support his arguments.

Ego is the enemy is broken into three sections:
Aspire
Success
Failure
Each section builds on the idea that while ego gets most of the attention we often wrongly attribute ego to success. In fact, while a healthy ego but not an overflow ego may help lead us to success, ego also often causes us to make questionable or worse decisions. Using examples and quotes throughout history to underscore the points, the book shows us how to better temper the ego and take advantage of a more balanced approach that leads to greater fulfillment and happiness and success in life.

This book is a short, easy read but frankly I felt it could have been even shorter, some of the points felt belabored which is why I took off one star. I really enjoy Ryan's writing and his mentorship under Robert Greene shows through. I do wonder how Ryan's view of the world will change as he gets older. His youthful idealism shows through in this book often and I'm curious to see how that evolves over time.

This is a book that all entrepreneurs and managers should read in my opinion. It is a good reminder for leaders of all types to remember when and how ego is useful and how to keep it in check for the greatest success. I'm reminded of an entrepreneur I watched who made every decision based on aggrandizing his ego and watched him make worse and worse decisions and less and less ethical choices. How it ends for him is yet to be seen but this book reminds me to always question myself and to strive for a healthier choice for me, my employees and my family.

I am a big fan of The Obstacle is the Way - being introduced to this concept of stoicism by Rich Roll's podcast where Ryan was a guest speaker. I enjoyed everything I've learned and was eager to dig into another effort from this really interesting and timely author (to me). I enjoyed Ego but I cannot say I liked it as much as the other. While I don't disagree that ego is an enemy I think that needs quantification - more like excessive ego is the enemy. The definition of ego here is slightly different than what I think of everyday -- but it's still close enough to me that I felt a bit off when reading this. I'm more a fan of balance and this felt a bit lopsided to me. It's shorter and easily digestible and certainly you can pull plenty of gems and actionable things to do from it. I certainly did - not the least of which is to recognize ego at work when it's running a bit, err, amuk.

One of the positives about Ego is the Enemy is that it highlights a problem endemic in modern society: Entitlement. Ego makes us feel as if we deserve things that we don’t. This book nailed that concept. It also discussed how ego gets in the way of self-reflection and improvement, which was the crux of the book, another excellent insight. It’s important to step back and see what is failing, and ego prevents that if one is not careful.

Where I took issue with the book was in its discussions of altruism, selfishness, and passion. Without getting into a philosophical discussion on objectivism and hashing out highly controversial arguments on Ayn Rand, I will say that selfishness, in the definition of doing what’s in one’s self-interest, is not a bad thing, and is in fact necessary.

I will also say that passion is good, and this book disagreed. The funny thing is that I don’t even believe the book meant to denigrate passion the way it did. It defined passion as lack of self-control combined with madness, and then asserted that passion prevents clear thinking. It preferred those who were dispassionate and gave a couple of examples.

From that angle, I think the book misses the point entirely. It’s correct in saying that ego often gets in the way of discipline, self-reflection, and perseverance. What it fails to recognize is how passion generates intrinsic motivation, which often creates the ability to stay focused, self-reflect, and persevere. That said, I do get the point that sometimes it’s necessary to step back and reflect on what’s not working.

Hubris can indeed prevent humility from clearing one’s eyes to futile or misdirected efforts. The only problem is that it’s often hard, if not impossible, to determine when one is being arrogant and one is simply being persistent. Sometimes, you need to be both. The successful are often those who are too arrogant or too stupid to know they can’t succeed, and because of that, they succeed anyway.

The book was highly philosophical, and often lacked any evidence. That by itself is not a problem, but there were throw away lines that I disagreed with. I often got the point, but the meaning of those lines will vary widely based on one’s own education and bias. Still, it was a good read with some useful tips and would serve readers well on balance.

This book will make you reflect on your life and probe into your personality. It certainly has made me think about my actions - past and on going. I no longer portray my certificates in my cubicle, just so it doesn't sway me away for the real purpose of me doing my work. Speaking of purpose, the author aptly puts it 'be driven by purpose not by passion'. The author suggests to steer clear from rewards and praises. I could relate this to what Dr. Kelly McGonigal says in her book The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It - focus on commitment and not on progress.

I read variety and I see this point come up in various places:
Bhagavad Gita: Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities.
Physics: Atom is mostly void; since we're chiefly made up of nothing, why tame ego?
Biologically, your birth is the result of a chance event - one out of million other cells. For a probability so small, why need such a large ego?

I wish the examples provided were a little more recent so readers could relate more closely to those.

Clean up the floor of ego and continually do so - intense!

Do these phrases sound familiar: "Fake it 'til you make it." "I deserve respect." "If only they knew what I can do." All of us have an ego. Some people deny it, while others actively control it. This book helps you control it, because it is absolutely there trying to control you.

This is a book that, in short yet perfectly organized chapters, will shine a light on to how your ego affects your daily actions and thoughts. It happens to everyone. But by knowing it is happening, you can start to fight back against it. And by fighting back, you can actually do more in your life. If you are doing important work; studying important issues; leading and managing others; then this book is absolutely for you. It helped me get out of my own head and focused on what actually matters -- working towards real accomplishments, rather than posturing and seeking validation.

Highlight passages if you like, but beware: you'll end up with a book full of yellow.

I really enjoy Holiday's writing. I would say even better than I do his mentor's, Robert Greene. I've read Holiday's Trust Me, and Obstacle as well and I believe that this is his best of those three.

For me, this was one of those books that just rocked me. I couldn't have found a better book for this moment in my life. 2017 was the year of the Pheonix for me with so many trials, challenges, and insights. I started the year abruptly losing my business of 9 years which sent me on a downward spiral like I've never experienced nor ever imagined could happen. My wife and three kids have suffered this year (utilities being shut off, spending weeks eating Ramen) due to the the cataclysmic events that unfolded this last January. After reading Ego is the Enemy, I realize that it was more the fault of my own ego than it was the individual that purposefully caused my business to crumble. This happened as a result of my arrogance, my blind ambition, and my desire to appear successful.

Its been almost a full year and in that year I've grown more than I have in the last 20 years combined. Holiday's book was a fantastic way to cap off this year of growth. I can honestly say that this has been the best year of my adult life. Though it can be difficult (and even painful) at times, no doubt, the process of Ego death, growth, and reinvention has been beyond rewarding and, even after this year of extreme struggle, my wife agrees that this year's struggles were worth watching me become the man that I've become.

If you're in the middle of a life crisis and want to grow from the experience, read this book. I would read this before his other great Stoic work, Obstacle is the Way.

My only issue with Holiday's books is that he can be too soft on certain individuals when he's trying to highlight one of their better attributes. He does a bit of whitewashing on Cato, Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan but that's really a trivial critique compared to his amazing writing.

Fantastic! Life-changing. This is one of those books that I stopped reading multiple times to write notes, then reflect on what I had just written. It is incredibly self-aware and trusting of its readers - it treats them like intelligent, thoughtful people. When a book is full of itself and uses fancy words just because the author can, that drives me crazy. I have already recommended this book to my brother and my cousin, and now I’m recommending it to you. I also recommend his audio book, as the author actually narrates it himself! That’s very rare among audio books, but important to catch the tonaility that the author is trying to convey. This book has helped me to realize that my Ego has been responsible for most everything bad that’s happened in my life, and Mr. Holiday offers solutions to to tame it. Stop reading this review and go get the book (or Audiobook)!!!

Ego is the Enemy. OK leave it right there and you've read the book in one sentence. Everything else in the book is just blah blah commentary from this person and that person and this example and that example. Most of which you wont even remember by the time you've closed the book shut. Ego is the Enemy. There in lies the be-all and end- all of what this book is about and what its trying to tell you. Everything in between is wasting precious minutes of your life.

I knocked out a few new books during my medical leave and have become a bit obsessed with self-awareness and development, personally and professionally. I heard Ryan Holiday on Myleik Teele’s podcast a while back and immediately ordered Ego is the Enemy. I read it last week and can honestly say it changed my life. As an ambitious person, it’s easy to allow ego to get in the way of your relationships, success, growth and learning from failures. It’s also easy to allow the need for control, credit, being right, emotional reactions and the past to distract and deter you from your destiny, and worse, steal your peace. I’ve learned so much from these books as I become a wiser me and look forward to becoming better daily by applying this knowledge, The Obstacle is the Way and the meditations of The Daily Stoic. I don’t recommend books often, but not matter what stage you are standing in the midst of - aspiration, success, failure, or transitioning from one to another - these are must-reads. To read and reread. Thank you, Ryan. Your no-BS approach to self-help has reenergized me at such a perfect time. Time for better choices and a new perspective. Time to “sweep the floor.”

I didn't like this book because I found it difficult to read personally. I've had some success in the past few years and never quite understood why it didn't fulfill me the way that I thought that it would. After reading "Ego is the Enemy" much more is clear.

It now makes sense why the book that I wrote because I wanted to write it is the most personally fulfilling work I've produced even if it's nowhere near the most profitable. It also now makes sense why I keep fighting the urge to promote myself because it doesn't feel right even though everybody else seems to be doing it. All that I want to do is produce good work - work that I enjoy producing - work that I feel is meaningful and lights me up.

I put down Obstacle is the Way after 50 pages because I felt like it had one message repeated over and over again with a bunch of stories. I found it to be fluffed up. Ego is the Enemy was much different. I found the examples intertwined throughout the book to be much more strategically placed. They added to the book and aided in my understanding and comprehension of the theory.

This book is apt for today's information ecosystem where it's easy to waste time posting pretending that you're doing work and it's easy to get absorbed in overt-self promotion at the detriment of production. It's a succinct read that will have you stopping at times to ponder your previous actions and think that maybe, just maybe you should change up a thing or two moving forward.

I am an avid reader, and even as I say that I can hear my ego saying - “yeah that’s right you are super knowledgeable” ha ha but I say that because this is one of the BEST books I have read to this date. It hits home, in a way that makes you feel similar instead of separate from so many on this awesome journey we call life. I have a better understanding of why the choices I have made have helped and hindered the ease of the experiences I have walked through! I recommend having your complete attention to the words and meanings Ryan writes about. This is definitely a book I will go back through and read when the confusion hits home and my ego is trying to keep me small. Thank you so much for this book!!

This felt like a huge run-on sentence of deep philosophical concepts that are handled so much better in other books. Others have gone into depth on the content so I won't do it here, but it just lagged for me, and never really picked up. There were no deep insights. I am going to stick to the originals, like Meditations by Aurelius.

I don't need a college drop out preaching about ego and how to handle myself in the world. I just don't get the hype. At all.

It may sound simple that one shouldn't let their ego in the way, but it affects us in so many aspects of our lives, it's hard to see. Ryan Holiday expertly breaks down how ego impedes our success in all aspects of life, and provides examples that inspire, as well as warn.

When we aspire, ego makes us delusional – we'll reach for dreams that we have no hope of achieving (instead of being realistic, and forming a plan); when we're successful, ego gives us a false sense of confidence, putting at risk what we've worked so hard to achieve; and when we fail, ego prevents us from accepting our mistakes and learning to do better next time.

I bought the audio-book on iTunes. There a three kinds of books. "Once books"- good enough to read once. "Never books" - don't read. "Over and over books" - read these books over and over. This is an "over and over book". It is full of excellent concepts about how we sometimes defeat ourselves by letting our ego grow beyond a healthy size. Ryan Holiday gives interesting examples of people from the Romans up through De Lorean. He also shows shows the humility of people who succeed. The examples are very interesting, such as Darwin, Eisenhower and many others. Definitely an "over and over book". the store has Audible so you can buy the audio-book on the store, too.

Ego Is the Enemy is a journey through time, success, and failure that can be used to guide you through some powerful introspection. Ryan Holiday returns with another meaningful message: Address your ego, start doing what you do for the right reasons, and enjoy the life that this practice builds.

Holiday makes the case that Ego is more complex than the media may lead us to believe. Popular examples of big-ego'd success are the result of a survivorship bias, and even these successes pay a price for their ego. Effortlessly compiling stories from prominent figures of history, fiction, and today as evidence, Holiday does what he excels at in his other books to drive his thesis home.

This book, while genuinely organized, interesting, and insightful, most clearly succeeds in leading the reader through an analysis of the effect their ego has on their life. You'll begin recognizing the negative mindsets and practices that your ego has slowly built up over time and promptly work to address them. If you've ever felt like you are getting in your own way of happiness or success, you will want to start reading this as soon as possible.

Very quick read (or listen). I somehow got introduced to Ryan Holliday (maybe through the Rich Roll podcast) about 18 months ago. I was very intrigued by his monthly reading list. Someone who can read as much as Ryan and write as well as he does clearly has something important to say. When I first read the obstacle is the way (which I believe is heavily influenced by Robert Greene and his books - Greene is a mentor/good friend to Holliday) I thought he was somewhat egotistical - similar to how I felt when reading some of Greene's work of which I am a fan. I did enjoy the book and love Ryan's monthly emails so when this came out I thought I'd give it a shot.

Ryan certainly did not disappoint. He does a phenomenal job showcasing how our Ego's, not the Ego, can greatly affect the path our lives take us. I was impressed and if I had read it I would have many quotes to share, but I listened to it and will not spoil it for any other readers who choose to learn about how their Ego may be the actual reason they are getting in fights with their spouse, hating work, or simply unhappy. Great read and I would recommend it.

Great message and well put together. I like Ryan's approach to the topic, and there are a lot of great supporting quotes and moments that hit home with me. My only criticism also applies to many books in this genre - a few chapters of excellent material, followed by many not-so-great chapters of endless anecdotes, not all of which helped bring the point home. Then back to great material at the end. I feel like this format comes close to losing my interest every time, wishing it would have been a book half its size with just the great material and most powerful anecdotes. Or, even better, to drop a good chunk of anecdotes and focus more on concrete ways to apply the principles. I guess that's the aim of the anecdotes, but after a few chapters they feel more belaboring than insightful. I still recommend this book as worth the read and I will be re-reading and taking notes on the first and last handful of chapters :).

This review is for the Audible audio book. The book is certainly worth your time and money and will force you to take a sobering look at who you are and how you treat other people.

Ryan does an excellent job walking through historical and contemporary examples of people who rose and fell due to their mastery or failure in controlling their egos. The pacing and narrative is easy to follow and convincing. I found it most helpful as a mirror to my habits that greatly overlap with the negative profiles of historical figures. The book would have benefitted from some quantitative or higher-level analysis of ego to give perspective to the in-depth examples Ryan provides. At times, it can feel like the author is cherry picking historical events to prove his point while ignoring the contradictory evidence. For example, the Orson Wells vs. Randolph Hearst comparison painted Wells as an example of patience and humility that doesn't jive with other accounts of Wells.

This book works well in an audio format. The focus on analogies and biographies makes it easy to follow along without words or images on a page.

For such a young man Ryan's writing is clear and lucid. His insights are spot on. Drawing from history, philosophy and psychology, Ryan gives the reader a look at the effects that ego has on our daily lives and how we can avoid many of the pitfalls that result. As a researcher and student of human behavior for many decades, I recall one of my mentors telling me, your ego is trying to kill you. Ryan has discovered, and clearly written about a subject that many of us do not discover until much later in life.

Well written book that has made me a better person. I would have given it five stars except that Mr. Holiday had such great things to say about General Sherman. My grandparents used to tell me stories that their grandparents told them about Sherman's march through the south. Things that seem to not be in the history books like rape, murder, and burning poor farmers' homes. In this day and age, Sherman would have been called a terrorist for these atrocities. Seems to me that Lee would have been a better example of a man without ego.

Oh well, I'll try not to let my ego get in the way.

"Ego" is hard to pin down in precise terms, but the examples are common and telling: it prevents us from admitting mistakes, and even taking on projects because we might fail; it prevents us from learning from our failures and faults; it makes recovery from failure unnecessarily hard, or worse, impossible. In short, it prevents us from growing.

"Ego is the Enemy" offers a quick tour of the great thinkers that have explored these themes in the past, paired with recent real-world examples from sports, business, and other areas, where ego or lack of thereof was either a hindrance or the reason for success. You won't find much original content if you're already familiar with Seneca, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, but it's a quick read and a good reminder to step back and examine if you're on the right track.

I purchased the audio version to provide some context into the format that I used. I don't understand all of the 5 star reviews because there is sound advice, most of it common sense, although the aforementioned advice is common knowledge. Such as, pride and hubris are dangerous and unproductive to a quality life. The book is primarily full of anecdotal evidence and quotes from past philosophers and visionaries. While that would be great in and of itself Holiday only scratches the surface for many of his points and never confirms his suppositions with proof, you just have to take his word for it because he twisted his point to provide some correlation to ego. Holiday may be right with many of his hypotheses but he doesn't provide scrutiny, or meticulous examples, with any efficacy that is scientific. He provides one or two historical anecdotal examples as proof that his rhetoric is sound. Oftentimes that anecdotal evidence fell short for me, I needed more in-depth proof. I gave the book two stars instead of one because the book is adequately written and there are good ideas and advice in the book it just isn't substantiated enough for me. All of his advice can be extracted from the bible which is why I agree with most of what Holiday has to say but I could just read the bible instead of buying this rehashed book.

One of the best books I've read ever. Definitely in the top 5 of the hundreds of books I've read in the past.

It'll force you to look at your own values and help you be aware of the ego just lurking around the corner.

The purpose of this book is NOT to eliminate ego completely. That's almost impossible to do.

But if everytime you make a decision, you start thinking about your ego and try not to let it takeover - that just means the lessons from the book did stick in your consciousness and it means that the book is successful in this regard.

Read it!

I'm not going to say this book will change your life nor will it alter your perspective. This book gives you something much more practical: managing your ego. Ryan Holiday doesn't give you false hope on how to once and for all kill your ego. He understands we're human and that there is better ways dealing with our ego.
What makes Ryan Holiday an interesting writer is how he humanizes all the legends. It's because of this that makes all the lessons in the book easy to understand. It helps knowing that larger than life individuals had similar or much more difficult goals, but managed to not let their ego get in the way. At the same time, Ryan shows how ego destroys some of the people we grew idolizing.
This book is relevant to anybody, regardless of age or what stage of life.

The cover tells you how off this book is from the mark. Some of the best people who wrote on the Ego are rememebered in history by their bust/statue. Buddha, Marcus Aurelius, Senecca, Mahavira, Adi Shankara, Plato etc. all these good people were aware of their ego and offered good counsel on how to avoid dangers of delusion and attachment. None of them would say the ego is the enemy, because to due so empowers by making it more important than it is. Ego is natural and it is the way in which we interact with the world, it is to be balanced and kept in check not destroyed or feared. This author is not researched, grounded and writes with constant contradiction. Read the classics of philosophy and not the poor quality sophist who do not live their own advice.

I consider this a solid improvement over Holiday's last book. It's slightly less self-promotional (or, at least, is self-centered in a way that magnifies personal vulnerability and growth) and the content is more richly organized. There is a variety of short lessons on related topics all hovering around a central theme of how to manage success and status without destroying the values that led you there. The audiobook (like Obstacle) is followed by an hour-long interview with the author. I can't give the book glowing reviews because it is too self-consciously 'self-help'. I think the content is watered down by autobiography is a way that The War of Art is not. Still, I praise Holiday for bringing Stoic values to mainstream publishing. -Ryan Mease

Reality television, easy fame, self-proclaimed gurus – we live in a strange and often exhausting world. But the root of many of our problems remains consistent throughout history – the human ego.

The stories in Ryan Holiday’s Ego is the Enemy span from ancient Greece to modern day, telling the same story in different ways – the damaging influence of ego in aspiration and worldly success, as well as the influence ego has on worsening failure.

This book is a welcome meditation on the role of ego in both success and failure, and the strength that comes through letting go of ego. I find it both inspiring and comforting – and particularly enjoyed the penultimate chapter, “Always Love.”

As I was reading Ryan Holiday’s quotation-rich book Ego Is the Enemy, I began to realize one cannot simple tear down one’s ego. Such a process is actually twofold: The ego diminishes, and the self-respect flourishes. One event can’t occur without the other.

This is a spiritual dynamic albeit a secular and philosophical one in the hands of Ryan Holiday. He wants to “remind” us with “moral stories” to be our better selves, “our better impulses.”

A humanist, Holiday believes we can, as Aristotle said, smooth out the warped wood that is human nature. To smooth the wood, we must confront and defuse our ego. He defines the ego as “an unhealthy belief in your own importance.” He elaborates: “It’s that petulant child inside every person, the one that chooses getting his or her way over anything or anyone else. The need to be better than, more than, recognized for, far past any reasonable utility—that’s ego.” This ego “distorts reality,” and in fact disconnects us from reality (funny, as I read this book I thought of Walter White from Breaking Bad).

This taming of the ego, however, cannot be performed in a vacuum. We must at the same time, Holiday reminds us, find a purpose and find our dignity and self-respect. Purpose, meaning, dignity, self-respect, and endless curiosity are the antidotes to ego.

One of the most salient lessons I learned is that nurturing the ego is a form of death or as Holiday, quoting Robert Greene, refers to as “dead time.” In one of my favorite passages, we read: “According to Greene, there are two types of time in our lives: dead time, when people are passive and waiting, and alive time, when people are learning and acting and utilizing every second.” To be entrapped in our ego, is to recoil from the world around us, to retreat into solipsism, and to chain ourselves to “dead time.”

Another danger of ego is that it makes us fear the embarrassment of failure and ultimately makes us cowards. Holiday quotes Seneca: “He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a living man.”

All of us suffer from our ego, which raises its ugly head either brazenly or insidiously. It’s good to remind ourselves often of our ego’s dangers to others and ourselves. Holiday has written an entertaining, compelling, and helpful remedy for our ego’s woes. Highly recommended.

Ego Is the Enemy

Damn, I'm a fan of Ryan's I've bought this, The Obstacle is the way, The Daily Stoic and listened to the Perennial Seller but I'm halfway through this and honestly it's an effort: An effort to stay wake at the wheel with Ryan's monotone and muffled voice, the former being a reflection on his narration, and the latter on the recording.

As for the content, this is much like the Perennial Seller: Introduces some really thought provoking nuggets with little follow-through or specific application.

I love reading Ryan's stuff online and maybe that's how it's meant to be delivered (through print or text), after all he is a writer. But this- and The Perennial Seller- both lack a certain depth, explanation and rigour.

I think most self-help books are either given to you or you're going through something and seek the books out. I'm at the latter stage.

Ryan is known among the entrepreneur and Stoic group. This book combines many of the principles that are important to both groups. Looking at the effects of ego in the beginning, middle, and "end" of your endeavors is a great way that he shows its many manifestations. I've seen it in me in each of those phases.

Informative and instructive.

Ryan has done it again. He has done a fantastic job at making Stoic philosophy palatable for basically anybody. In this book he tackles probably the most crucial aspect of our lives that goes by unchecked which is a persistent shadow in our lives, ego. As in the great philosophies of both the East and West, the remedy for excessive ego is a humility so radical that it tears at the fabric of our personality. This process of shedding the ego, though it may seem daunting, is the ultimate barrier keeping us from living a life of purpose and contentment if it goes on being the aspect of our mind that we incorrectly assume is who we are. This book is a sufficient bulldozer to knock down this barrier.

Although the word stoic only appeared a couple of times in the book, the stoic way of thinking is everywhere throughout the book. At first, I was taken aback by the strong word "enemy". Am I going to fight with myself? Am I going to treat myself with of no importance?

The stories told in this book are the explanations of the meaning of the title. In the chapter: don't tell yourself a story, it says: "when we are aspiring we must resist the impulse to reverse engineer success from other people;'s stories. When we achieve our own, we must resist the desire to pretend that everything unfolded exactly as we'd planned". In other words, the narratives we tell ourselves out of our self-importance are not true.

More than a handful of these stories hit home for me, as if the author was reading my mind. All in all, this is a good and easy read.

Good book, however, I feel the mind set for the book is more for start up/ entrepreneurial endeavors. This advice, if applied at a major corporation or bank, would often result in the employee getting terminated.

The book fails to mention the politics of employee reviews, creating false impact, etc. We would all like to create impact (and be altruistic), but we also need to face the reality of bureaucracy and office politics.

The author shows his age (he's under 30), in this book. Good motivation for hipsters, but terrible advice for working professionals.

I can't figure it out, but something about this just isn't sitting quite right with me. The audiobook definitely sounds like he is trying to make it seem like Malcolm Gladwell, but the stories don't justify the claims like a Gladwell book. He uses a lot of examples from history but it seems like he manipulates what they had said to fit his ideas. A lot of the information seems very contradictory and go against what may have just been said previously. I've had to force myself through it, that's why I'm writing the review or else I probably would not have bothered. The cover says he's one of our generations finest thinkers, I just don't think so, even putting that quote on the cover goes against his entire book. There are far better books out there, don't waste your time with this one.

Ryan Holiday is a talented writer and the book is interesting, but I couldn't always connect the thesis around ego with many of the anecdotes. Plus, if I read one more basketball or football anecdote as an exemplar for the life that the 99% of us live, I'm going to go mad.

I've known Ryan for quite some time. And I'd agree with some of the other reviewers that this is his best book yet. The thing about a book like this is that you can't expect to read it once and gain what you're hoping from it. It's something that you should return to on a regular basis. There's great wisdom about not letting any success get to your head in the pages of this book.,

Ego. We hear about this personal untamed beast, usually, in regards to its growth in us to unmanageable proportions. Akin to a Manhattan investment banker coming off a multi-billion deal and all-night debauchery- the usual Scarface coke and classy ladies of the evening - that, makes one an insufferable douchebag. Holiday's Ego Is The Enemy treks through the finest leaves of grass, from Ancient Greece to the Civil War onward to the heavy metal-inspired 1980s, discussing the role of doing less, being more, and seeking a balanced, middle way, expressed through biographical sketches of important men and women throughout history, who also were better people to know.

Their best hopes and purposes came about in not seeking out glory to appease their internal ego trips. Starting out small - Bill Belichick as an unpaid film room rat, or William Sherman, giving salient strategic advise to Lincoln, but conditioning thereafter the President to not promote him up to a superior command - they all put in the sweat of time and sought little reward in return.

How a military genius, John Boyd, never achieve a rank above colonel, yet created superior battle tactics (earning the moniker "40 Second Boyd") and the OODA loop model, that is taught across numerous fields of study. Boyd too, never sought command - living frugally, and not cashing defense contractors' checks (that he equated to bribes) - but influenced commanders and pilots and those who understood his methods worked to their advantage in combat and life.

Holiday has the biographical trek down cold. How lives turn on a few, key significant choices - what you choose to do, think or feel - is a matter of strength of resolve, discipline, a code for living. How Jackie Robinson path to greatness lay not in his superior baseball actions, but in personal inaction, the responses to virulent and poisonous words and overt deeds of men, who inhabited America's then National Pastime.

After Ben Chapman, of the woeful 40's Phillies, called Jackie racial epithets over and over from the dugout, Jackie, later, took a friendly photo aside this man, to save that man's job, just a month later. Chapman didn't change in a month. Jackie had - as he wrote privately wanting to do what all of us would like to have done: smash Chapman's teeth in (Holiday, 62). Instead, Jackie withheld his rage for the field. Knowing where the battles can be won is most significant to the winning the larger strategy in life.

Holiday makes this observation, that I feel has lasting resonance:

"We know where we want to end up: success. We want to matter. Wealth and recognition and reputation are nice too. We want it all...

This is the thinking that creates the Faustian bargain that turns most clean ambition into shameless addiction. In the early stages, ego can be temporarily adaptive. Craziness can pass for audaciousness. Delusions can pass for confidence, ignorance for courage. But it's just kicking the costs down the road.

Because no one ever said, reflecting on the whole of someone's life, 'Man, the monstrous ego was worth it.' " (85-86, Holiday)

I think that defines all that ego for itself is: just a way to sacrifice your principles to get a few more coins, an ostentatious title, a leggy secretary (from a man's point of view), and a wall full of plaques that have highfalutin universities crests displayed. That end is about display, adornment, and ornamentation, not about doing (and being) one's best self - and the causes we put ahead of us in a younger state, that of ego-less times.

This reviewer would be hypocritical if I stated I haven't trekked the very dark side of the ego, spending the first decade of the 21st century in a personal ego pit and pity party. Holiday too recognizes his fallibility on his rise up from a prodigy of the writing and business strategy world (apprenticing under Robert Greene The 48 Laws of Power) to his current path and direction.

Success - has its alter-ego - failure to thank for a mirage of sand dunes that also hide the oil that somehow salvages perceptions of us as being a "success" or more ego precise, "relevant." Holiday walks those dunes to find the corpse of Howard Hughes, the label king of billionaires. Holiday takes apart said corpse neatly - as he summarizes:

"Eventually, ego killed Howard Hughes as much as mania and trauma did - if they were ever separate to begin with. You can only see this if you want to see it. It's more attractive to see the rebel billionaire, the eccentric, the world renown, and the fame, and think: Oh, how I want that. You do not. Howard Hughes, like so many wealthy people, died in an asylum of his own making. He felt little joy. He enjoyed almost nothing of what he had. Most importantly, he wasted. He wasted so much talent, so much bravery, and so much energy. " (97, Holiday)

The reviewer met a gentleman a few years back that worked at Hughes Aircraft. And yes, this man, who was in his early twenties in 1961, met the billionaire for 5 whole minutes. Bill, was an apprentice airplane mechanic then. Bright-eyed, and obviously awed, he remembered Hughes was "lucid" in the moment - talking about mechanical design, when Hughes deem it worthy to speak, with a cadre of engineers - while Bill, got a front row seat, as it were, to the Howard Hughes Spectacle. Bill's lasting impression -- Hughes seemed "intensely curious" for a brief moment or two, about the hanger, storing a smidgen of a bit of the Hughes fortune.

Holiday offers nine paragraphs that Donald Trump should read humbly over and over on pages 124-125 of the hard copy. (Frankly, the whole book is fair lessons for both presidential candidates. But, of the two, I can see Trump needing to get these particular lessons first and foremost.) But, then, the reviewer presumes too much connection to think such message would trek to any ears, seeking the most powerful office in the land.

Ego Is The Enemy is a must read, a tutorial for anyone, that needs a bit of reality dropped on them. Executives especially need this. In fact, the more successful you are - the more reality needs to be brought into your mind. You weren't always this grand, wonderful, awesome, or whatever #hashtag makes you warm inside. You were once a bit of a fraud, an unproven and ignorant soul, and the whole of humanity needs you to remember that, if you seriously want to lead us on to greater achievements for humanity.

Else, you're just a maniac looking out onto a lunatic fringe.

The book is a thought provoking book encouraging one to leave his foolish ways behind and seek and apply wisdom to one's life especially in the form of humility. The author illustrates his lessons by using interesting stories of current and historic figures. I found the book a relaxing read that could be enjoyed reading one chapter per sitting. I appreciate the stoicism it teaches as a counter to the self-esteem movement that has created an extreme sense of entitlement in our youngest adult generation.

Is ego the enemy? I am in two thoughts on this and love books like this that help me questions topics like that on the ego at a higher altitude. Ryan Holiday author of The Obstacle Is the Way and fantastic book that I have also reviewed at The Hidden Why has done it again. His writing is brilliant. The topic is relatable and message important to all.

- Listen and read the full review at The Hidden Why dot com. Leigh Martinuzzi - The Hidden Why Guy

An eye opening read with countless stories, anecdotes, and inspiration. No matter where you are on your journey, your ego tempts you to make the wrong decisions. It forms your beliefs. And YOU are your beliefs and decisions, which truly does mean that your ego is your greatest enemy.

I'm so glad I have read this book, but more than this I am glad that I have read this book now. I was ready to listen. It's affected me.

Thank you, Ryan. This is special!

I enjoyed this book. It was a great reminder to examine myself in this area. I think that's the view that is most constructive with this material. You might not agree with what someone says 100%, but you can still learn from them. You can still choose to turn your focus inward and strive to be honest with yourself. In a semi non-related example, I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and we emphasize how even a black belt can learn from a white belt. One just has to be open and receptive to the lesson. You can reject the messenger, but that doesn't mean the message isn't apt.

I personally really enjoyed this book and it led me to have a conversation with my most trusted and loved adviser about my ego. The conversation was both jolting and enlightening. I'm thankful that this book motivated me to do this. I just hope to be able to continue sweeping the floor.

This was a great book that I will undoubtedly listen to a few times. In fact, I'm starting it again now. In a culture that's all about me, my insta page, and my personal brand, Holiday's book reminds us that the things that truly matter are humility, hard work, and resilience. For those of us with ambition and drive, we're encouraged to keep our heads down and keep plugging along, raising the standard along the way. For those of us who are tempted to look to instant success, it's a good reminder that little steps, over time, amount to miles. I am deeply grateful for this work and I will continue to buy his books and ruminate on the lessons outlined in Ego is the Enemy.

Incredible writing by Ryan Holiday. He challenges the idea of passions having a negative impact on the self. I am a firm believer of having a vision and purpose but Holiday does an amazing job of encapsulating as to how a passion could bring a lack of awareness and growth. Holiday works examples into his work with great poise and transition. This book will be significant in the near future, and Holiday's name will be synonymous with his predecessors -- Robert Greene. Great work Mr. Holiday.

This is really a book about humility. Author Ryan Holiday tells stories about notable figures in history whose successes were derailed by their egos, and examples of people who exhibited great humility. For example, my favorite story is about the New England Patriots drafting Tom Brady. They drafted him in the sixth round, so obviously he was one of the most rewarding picks in history. But instead of patting themselves on the back, the Patriots looked at what went wrong with their recruitment system that they didn't peg him as a higher pick. Ryan tells the story a lot better in the book, but it's an example of how winners view things. This is an amazing book. There are a lot of magical moments in it. It's the type of book I can see myself reading like once a year or so as a reminder.

I wish 2 things. 1 I'd read this book every year of my life from the beginning of my career to now. 2) I'd been ready to appreciate the contents of this book earlier. It has saved me a great deal of pain over past situations and I know that, if I continue to "sweep away the dust" of the ego as it inevitably and continuously gathers, I will save myself, my loved ones and my colleagues from so much unnecessary pain in the future. The ego is so subtle in it's operation, and is such a core function of our psyche, yet is so potentially damaging to all we hold dear. Ryan has done a great job of giving very concrete examples of the functioning of ego, the difficulties it causes and very practical and useful suggestions about how we can deal with it. This work never ends but it is perhaps the most important work we have. Thank you Ryan for this incredibly important book.

The 1 star reviews for this are great, they seem to come from academics who don't understand the concept of practical value for normal humans. I don't know if this is a "great book", but it is an incredibly helpful piece of content. We all battle with this, and everyone we encounter does too. Being reminded of that, getting a grip on it, and reeling it in can have a profound effect.

Absolutely needed by everyone who has an Ego. Meaning, I think everyone should read this book, today. I've skimmed through the reviews before me that say the same thing I'm more likely going to touch on in my review. But it truly was an eye-opening wake up call for myself. I struggle with this daily, especially in the industry I work in. It levels me and keeps me grounded. I may be re-reading this book for probably the rest of my life until it is verbatim. It's that important. And Ryan Holiday is extremely humble and real with you in this book. He provides valuable knowledge while also bringing in great examples that everyone can not only sympathize to, but also really get invested behind.

I wish I could have read this book 40 years ago (if it existed then). While I'm sure my younger self would not see many of the nuances I'd like to believe that I could have picked out the essentials and continue to learn from this book as I aged. It is a well done book on hubris. While most of won't admit ego plays a big role in our lives and not in a good way. I've read this book twice now. Sometimes I go back and just read certain chapters as a reminder of what I need to be aware and should be doing. Great book. Thank you Ryan.

Love this book.

Great stories paired with breakdowns & very relatable content.

Something that I wish I would have had earlier in my 20's... so if you're in college, are just starting your career, OR are an entrepreneur... then pick up this book.

Your friends, family, employees, & others around you will most likely thank you.

They did me. :)

- Kyle, CEO (Chief Experiment Officer)
digitalconversionlabs.com

In a world of pushing for success and countless books on leadership and being at the front of the pack, this book reminds us of the people who needlessly created their own demise. So many have clawed their way to the top, only to find they sacrificed family, health and integrity in the process. Ego is the Enemy is a thoughtful guide to recognizing our talents but also recognizing our greatest impact and happiness may not be at the top of the pyramid.

as i watch current events, i see "ego" all around me.
this book is very proactive about ego.
you can tear ego apart without damaging your self.
as a matter of fact, you can build yourself up to be a kinder, more CONstructive person rather than a DEstructive person.
i grew up hearing that ego stood for "edge god out".
this book is a marvelous first step to finding your soul again.
definitely recommended.

Whenever Ryan writes a book, I put everything down and read it immediately. His book recommendations are the foundation that I have built my life upon. I really enjoyed The Obstacle is the Way, but I think Ego is the Enemy is better because the lessons are more relevant in today's self-promoting media culture. My only complaint is that I wish the chapters were longer. I loved the Katharine Graham/Failure chapter because it felt more comprehensive than some of the other examples. I hope Ryan scales his next project up to a 48 Laws of Power or 33 Strategies of War word count. I took my time reading Ego because I didn't want it to end. That being said, his new book should still be required reading for all entrepreneurs and artists (along with Obstacle, The War of Art, Bird by Bird, Robert Greene's books and Seth Godin's books). Great stuff. Keep'em coming.

In a world of, "Fake it 'til you make it," we're not so used to hearing that maybe we really aren't all that we're cracked up to be. I read this book at the perfect time in my career—I had reached some early success and then things got hard and I fell into a pit of mild despair. Ryan's book reminded me that working hard and being humble is the best way. It's full of helpful anecdotes and lots of research. I read it in a few days. Recommend.

A book that made me think about ways I've approached work, success, and failure in the past. It can be difficult to tread the line between useful self-belief and harmful ego. Ryan Holiday uses Stoic philosophy to provide modern guidance. Easily digestible, thought-provoking, lots of lessons.

An interesting book in many ways which gets many five star ratings, implying that numerous readers must identify with the concepts of the book.
I found it very US-centric with the examples provided, mentioning lots of US sports personalities(presumably with huge egos) who may be household names in the US but pretty much unheard of in the rest of the world.

The book certainly has some interesting discussion over the reasons for ego and how it may affect out lives and ability to reach success in whichever areas we strive to improve.

I was intetested to read the book for several reasons, including to see whether there was explanation of success in other cultures where the human ego is suppressed and not dominant in personality.

Some of the copy reverts to slang and swearing occasionally ,whilst retaining the common touch to a wider audience, detracts from the arguments the author is trying to put forward at times.

Probably worth a read if you think you have any sort of ego, and might just not be getting ahead in life?

I was given this by a friend and didn't how powerful of a gift it would be. Our ego is not only an enemy but it's often something we consider to be an asset. It makes us feel good and confident but it is misleading. This hinders our growth. I wasn't able to make this connection until Ryan Holiday broke it down. With his book broken down into Aspire, Success, and Failure, we're able to see how ego attacks us in all stages of life. If you're seriously interested in learning about your ego and some of your self-limiting habits that you are not aware of, read this book. It has a very conversational tone which makes it a casual but informative read.

This book is absolutely full of amazing anecdotes loosely tied together in three sections: Aspire, Success, and Failure. If you are looking for inspiration to get you through a pit of despair, and can't stand empty platitudes, this book is for you.

I received this book at a keynote by Ryan at the University of Tampa. The book is full of great principles presented in easily consumed chapters. Since I finished the book, I have often referred back to specific sections of the book to strengthen ideas or add clarity. I have already recommended this book to a number of my peers and mentors. If you enjoy this book, I would also recommend checking out the Obstacle is the Way (which I listened to on Audible).

Ego is the Enemy is another resource I will continue to reference. It is on my short list of books I will send as a gift.

Thanks, Ryan!

Ryan Holiday is interesting.

He is also an admirer of Marcus Aurelius and Steven Pressfield.

Aurelius’s meditations are still with us 2,000 years after he recorded them. And Pressfield’s “The War Of Art” and “Do the work”, I think, will be read for many years to come.

What about Ryan Holiday’s “Ego is the Enemy”, which relies heavily on at least the spirit of Aurlelius and Pressfield?

Holiday is 29, but appears to be well-read and deeply interested in the human condition and eking out a fulfilled, if not happy, life from an uncaring universe.

But he is not Marcus Aurelius. And he is not Steven Pressfield.

I would consider this to be a “starter’ work. It won’t have a long life, but Holiday if he remains interested in human potential may someday create a timeless work on becoming human.

Right now, “Ego is the Enemy” is more a collection of quotes and anecdotes. It is an interesting read because he cites interesting people. His theme is that ego gets in our way and keeps us being all we can be. In this, he is repeating what Aurelius and many others have told us over the centuries.

Holiday doesn’t tell us how to attain this egoless nirvana; he just tells us we should get there. Paraphrasing Ernest Hemingway, Holiday tells us “[t]he world can show you the truth, but no one can force you to accept it”.

Yep. He’s right.

This is an interesting book, filled with many quotes and anecdotes from people whose names most of us know. It is illuminating, but not necessarily enlightening.

Jerry

Nothing particular or absolutely new in this self-help book, that mostly is a training to help us not becoming a spoiled, entitled, whining person, or, if it's too late, it should help us to reverse the process. I disagree with the author about the statement that egotistic people never search for a mentor or stopping learning altogether. I have studied all my life, but that didn't help me handle my ego; As a matter of fact I based my super inflated ego exactly on all the things I know, I learnt and still learning. Maybe it's just too late for me....

Niente di particolarmente nuovo o speciale in questo manuale di auto aiuto che dovrebbe allenare a non diventare arroganti e presuntuosi, o, se é troppo tardi, aiutarci a invertire il processo. Non sono comunque d'accordo con l'autore sull'affermazione che le persone egotistiche, sono quelle che non cercano piú niente da imparare, che non hanno un mentore, che ritengono di sapere a sufficienza. Avendo studiato praticamente tutta la mia vita, devo informarlo che questo non ha affatto diminuito il mio ego, anzi direi piuttosto il contrario, perché amo pensare a tutte le cose che so, che ho imparato e che sto imparando. O magari é solo che per me é troppo tardi....

I'm working on the ego and came across this book. Easy and catchy title. At first I was sighing as I found it boring, and then the lessons picked up nicely. I'm happy that I listened to it as he built into the philosophy of self improvement from within. This is a book that I will hear many times over.

Using examples from historical figures, famous literary characters, and Greek philosophy, Holiday shows how ego ets in the way of good work, success, and personal growth. The title of this review is an example of that - touting one's prowess (even if deserved), can set people and processes in motion based on another's reaction to ego. And, to quote (Greek philosophy and Holiday) "It is impossible to learn that which one think one knows already." Holiday uses many examples where, by putting ego aside, it opened up a door for the opportunity for historic action.

Although short, it is a little repetitive and could be slightly more concise. However, it's a good thought provoking read, especially for people who are in leadership or management situations to do some gut checking about whether their decision making is based in ego or not. Well worth the read.

An engaging, persuasive combination of perennial wisdom and cautionary tales. I gladly give it five stars, even though I wish Holiday had opted for a professional reader for the Audible version instead of reading it himself. He isn't the worst I've ever heard, but few amateur readers have the skills to avoid voice fatigue, mispronunciations, and a monotonous sing-song rhythm, and he's no exception.

Very disappointed by this book. It's fluffy and full of conclusions unsupported by strong arguments. It's basically didactic and reads as an account of the author's opinion rather than a work of insight.

This is a thought provoking book. I don't agree with the thesis completely as I think there are different mental strategies that work for different people. So a one-size fits all stoic philosophical approach is a hard if not impossible road to walk as most people are not so self assured about their purpose.

The book at times seems ironic, but it will certainly make you think.

I recently read (listened too, I got it on audible) this book. It is a book that is profoundly useful, and one I imagine I will read, and re-read continually. Ryan quotes a friend about how training yourself to be less egocentric being like sweeping a floor, and I feel like mine was very dirty. I highly recommend this book if you are a person who feels both that they have accomplished a lot, but are not satisfied in the 'more' that they are going after.

Read this book - if your ego allows it. Ego has always been around, since the early days of humanity. With social media today, there are more tools available to feed egos, and encourage narcissism. This book provides a sobering collection of stories about ego and it's side-effects.