Book Review: Ego is the enemy by Ryan Holiday

In the last few months, my reading pace was slow. And it was difficult to revert to my original pace and read consistently. Thoughts like – ‘why I am not reading enough?’ ‘what happened to me?’, and ‘how will I continue my reading journey?’ – were uppermost in my mind.

The self-talk was all about me and myself. And this is what Ego does! It becomes so inflated and self-interrogating at times that we are consumed in ourselves and feel incapable of thinking beyond it.

“The pretense of knowledge is our most dangerous vice because it prevents us from getting any better. Studious self-assessment is the antidote,” said Ryan Holiday in his book, Ego is the Enemy.

I had picked up the book only to overcome the feeling of being stuck. As I started reading, I felt as if Ryan is talking directly to me through the anecdotes and examples. The book gave me a chance to reflect on myself and my ego getting in the way of my progress.

For anything we want to achieve, Ego is the first enemy we need to win over. As Richard Feynman famously said ‘The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool’.  Perhaps we feel that we cannot be an egomaniac and are pretty balanced in life. “But for people with ambitions, talents, drivers, and potential to fulfill, ego comes within the territory”, says Ryan.

Ryan uses stories and lessons from ancient philosophy to help us carve our way. This book will help with practical ways to thrive in life despite all the hurdles. Just like the book helped me to pick up my reading pace, slowly but steadily, without being judgemental of the outcome but for the joy of reading itself.

A gem for your reading list.

Book#: 204

Quotes from the Book, ‘Ego is the Enemy’ by Ryan Holiday

“It’s time to sit down and think about what’s truly important to you and then take steps to forsake the rest. Without this, success will not be pleasurable, or nearly as complete as it could be. Or worse, it won’t last. This is especially true with money. If you don’t know how much you need, the default easily becomes more. And so without thinking, critical energy is diverted from a person’s calling and toward filling a bank account.” – p118, chapter: Whats imporatnt to you?

“We have to actively seek out this cosmic sympathy. There’s the famous Blake poem that opens with “To see a World in a Grain of Sand / And a Heaven in a Wild Flower / Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour.” That’s what we’re after here. That’s the transcendental experience that makes our petty ego impossible. Feel unprotected against the elements or forces or surroundings. Remind yourself how pointless it is to rage and fight and try to one-up those around you.” – p142, chapter: Mediate on the immensity

“We know that everyone experiences failure and adversity, and that we’re all subject to the rules of gravity and averages. What does that mean? It means we’ll face them too. As Plutarch finely expressed, “The future bears down upon each one of us with all the hazards of the unknown The only way out is through.”, p168, chapter: Failure

“My friend the philosopher and martial artist Daniele Bolelli once gave me a helpful metaphor. He explained that training was like sweeping the floor. Just because we’ve done it once, doesn’t mean the floor is clean forever. Every day the dust comes back. Every day we must sweep.” p212, chapter: Epilogue

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