Ego Is the Enemy
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."--
What you might want to know about Ego Is the Enemy
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Ryan Holiday traces the careers of generals, executives, and athletes through the three stages of any working life, aspire, succeed, fail, and argues that the same enemy, ego, undermines us at every one.
Ego Is the Enemy (2016) is the second book in Ryan Holiday's Stoic life-and-strategy trilogy, between The Obstacle Is the Way (2014) and Stillness Is the Key (2019). The three books form a thematic arc on Stoic mindset.
Ego Is the Enemy is closer to applied philosophy than traditional self-help, drawing on Stoic principles and historical case studies. Readers familiar with Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus will recognize the underlying ideas.
Ego Is the Enemy was written by Ryan Holiday, published in 2016 by imusti.
Ego Is the Enemy is 250 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Ego Is the Enemy takes most readers 4 to 5 hours to finish.
Ego Is the Enemy is a standalone novel by Ryan Holiday, not part of a series.
Ego Is the Enemy is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
