Ego Is the Enemy

· Sold by Penguin
4.4
182 reviews
Ebook
256
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

The instant Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and international bestseller

“While the history books are filled with tales of obsessive visionary geniuses who remade the world in their image with sheer, almost irrational force, I’ve found that history is also made by individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition.” —from the prologue

 
Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside world. In fact, the most common enemy lies within: our ego. Early in our careers, it impedes learning and the cultivation of talent. With success, it can blind us to our faults and sow future problems. In failure, it magnifies each blow and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back.
 
Ego Is the Enemy draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to his­tory. We meet fascinating figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who all reached the highest levels of power and success by con­quering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well.
 
In an era that glorifies social media, reality TV, and other forms of shameless self-promotion, the battle against ego must be fought on many fronts. Armed with the lessons in this book, as Holiday writes, “you will be less invested in the story you tell about your own specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to accomplish the world-changing work you’ve set out to achieve.”

Ratings and reviews

4.4
182 reviews
Tom
October 11, 2020
I accept the points he makes as valuable, though not particularly novel, and as a good reminder of how I want to be - even aside from their utility. As well, it is a light, easy, read and the biographical snippets are fun and interesting, but there isn't much meat here. And, maybe I'm being picky, but I was put off by his approach to the bibliography. He tells you how wonderful the bibliography is, but he doesn't provide it and doesn't even publish it at the link he provides. To get it, you must provide your email. Of course it is understandable that he wants to build an email list, but providing your email should be optional and getting a book's bibliography shouldn't require jumping through hoops.
15 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
April Santiago
September 15, 2020
it is an eye-opener. At first it feels uncomfortable to read it because it goes against what you will naturally expect to get out of a book but at the end of the chapter you understand how ego plays an important part of most of your life. The stories where short but personally it was perfect for me, because I had time to read a chapter per day without having to leave in the middle of the chapter. It's definitely a book I'm looking forward to re-read in my future because as I step into this world I will encounter with similar situations as in the book.
8 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Jay Smith (RelaxEnjoyBeKind)
June 8, 2019
A must for EVERY entrepreneur, leader, ... hell, anyone facing new challenges and change! This holds the key to profesdional and personal resilience, sustainability, and growth -- I wish I had this book 25 years ago!
2 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Ryan Holiday is one of the world’s bestselling living philosophers. His books, including The Obstacle Is the WayEgo Is the EnemyThe Daily Stoic, and the #1 New York Times bestseller Stillness Is the Key, appear in more than forty languages and have sold over 10 million copies. He lives outside Austin with his wife and two boys ... and a small herd of cows and donkeys and goats. His bookstore, The Painted Porch, sits on historic Main Street in Bastrop, Texas.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.