8 Most Powerful Lessons From The Book “Ego is the Enemy”

“Ego Is the Enemy” is a book by Ryan Holiday that explores the idea that too much focus on the self can be detrimental to achieving success and happiness. The book is divided into three parts: “Aspire,” “Success,” and “Failure.” In the “Aspire” section, Holiday argues that ego can be a major obstacle to achieving goals and that true success comes from humility, hard work, and dedication. He also points out that many people believe that once they achieve a certain level of success, their ego will disappear, but this is not the case.

In the “Success” section, Holiday discusses how ego can cause people to become arrogant and disconnected from others, leading to a loss of perspective and poor decision making. He also talks about how ego can lead to a fear of failure, which can prevent people from taking risks and trying new things.

In the “Failure” section, Holiday argues that ego can make it difficult for people to accept and learn from their mistakes. He contends that the ability to accept failure is a vital component of success and that people must be willing to admit their mistakes and learn from them in order to grow and improve.

Throughout the book, Holiday draws on a wide range of examples from history, literature, and popular culture to illustrate his points, including figures such as George Washington, Steve Jobs, and Ernest Hemingway. He also provides practical advice on how to overcome the negative effects of ego and achieve success on your own terms.

The book generally deliver a message of humility and perspective, that true achievement comes from a calm, clear-eyed and self-aware mind , and that often, when we put aside our own ego, that’s when we are able to achieve great things.

Get Free Audiobook Now

8 Most Powerful Lessons From The Book “Ego is the Enemy”

1. Your worst enemy lives in you.

“Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, your worst enemy already lives inside you: your ego.”

Since pride is in us, it is either we feed it or starve it.

How you deal with your pride makes the big difference.

2. Manage your pride

“Your ego is not some power you’re forced to satiate at every turn. It can be managed. It can be directed.”

As soon as you feel you are becoming egoistic, boastful, and proud – you can tell yourself to stop.

3. Pride tells you to talk, humility tells you to listen.

Ego encourages you to lift yourself and base your worth on nothing or false worth.

On the other hand, humility tells you how important it is to listen to people.

4. Become a student

Ego tells you not to listen to anyone.

As a result, you stop learning.

When you become a student, you lay aside your pride.

You admit to yourself that you don’t know everything. 

So, if you want to keep on learning, learn to be humble first.

5. Help people become great

Ego focuses on self.

Humility focuses on others.

If you want to become great, you need to help other people become great.

That’s just how the universal law works.

6. Don’t be afraid to take the low position

Ego drives you to make certain decisions just to please others, causing a lot of problems along the way.

Do what other people refuse to do simply because they think they are too important to do it themselves.

7. Ego sways us from our ultimate goal.

“We’re never happy with what we have, we want what others have too. 

We start out knowing what is important to us, but once we’ve achieved it, we lose sight of our priorities. 

Ego sways us, & can ruin us.”

8. Ego is the wicked sister of success & failure

When you succeed, don’t give in to the temptation of feeling important.

Don’t think that you are better than others just because you have succeeded.

When you fail, don’t feel like you have been cheated or u have been sabotaged.