Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

Favorite Quote

“Impressing people is utterly different from being truly impressive.” — Ryan Holiday

The Book in One Sentence

Ego Is The Enemy reveals why a tendency that’s hardwired into our brains — the belief that the world revolves around us and us alone — keeps holding us back from living the very life it dreams up for us, including what we can do to overcome our ego, be kinder to others and ourselves, and achieve true greatness.

Why should you read it?

One of the downsides of social media is that ego, if we think of it like a disease, has become rampant. It’s so easy to indulge your every whim nowadays. Angry at your delivery man? Yell at the company on Twitter. Feel like ranting about politics? Blast it out on your Facebook wall. But it’s not good to give in to our every impulse. In fact, it hurts us more than it helps, especially in the long run. If you ask yourself honestly whether you struggle with your ego and find the answer is yes, grab this book.

Key Takeaways

1. Be a perpetual student. It’ll keep you modest.
2. Don’t hog tasks at work. Be a team player.
3. Reflect honestly on your performance when you get surprising results.