The key ideas

Ego Is the Enemy

Ryan Holiday, 2016

A general asks the president not to give him overall command. A writer publishes a book about his governorship before the election, then loses. An industrialist tries to save his company through a cocaine deal. Ryan Holiday gathers stories about how ego obstructs us at the beginning, at the top, and in failure, and what helps keep it in check.

Who it is for

For anyone starting something new, already successful, or experiencing failure who wants to understand where their own pride may get in the way.

What is rare is not natural talent, skill, or even confidence, but humility, diligence, and self-awareness.

What the book is about

The American Civil War. Officer William Sherman is promoted to brigadier general and meets President Lincoln. At the end of their conversation, he sets an unusual condition: he will accept promotion only if he is not appointed to overall command. Other generals ask for more power; this one asks for less. Why will become clear a little later.

Ryan Holiday, a writer and popularizer of Stoicism, calls ego an enemy that can obstruct any path. By ego, he means an unhealthy belief in your own importance: arrogance and self-centered ambition.

The book has three parts: when we aspire to something, when we have succeeded, and when we have failed. This is Holiday’s framework assembled from stories and philosophy rather than research.

Idea 1. A book about a victory that never happened

The year is 1934. Writer Upton Sinclair runs for governor of California. Before the vote, he publishes I, Governor of California, and How I Ended Poverty. In it, he describes in the past tense what he has already done in an office he has not yet held.

The book became a bestseller; the campaign failed. A friend later recalled that Sinclair seemed to lose interest in the election: in his imagination, he had already played the governor’s role.

Holiday sees a familiar temptation here: talking about work can take the place of the work itself. Describing plans gives some of the pleasure the result promised.

Someone announces to friends that they will start writing a book on Monday, receives ten enthusiastic replies, and by Monday feels noticeably less desire to sit down and write.

The author believes recognition received in advance may take away some of the energy needed for the journey. Sometimes staying silent until the first results is more useful.

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About the author

Ryan Holiday is an American writer and popularizer of Stoicism. His books include The Obstacle Is the Way, Stillness Is the Key, and Courage Is Calling. Early in his career, he led marketing at American Apparel.

All books by this author: Ryan Holiday

Terms from the book

  • Ego
  • Canvas strategy: The author’s advice to beginners: help others, do work nobody wants, and learn without demanding recognition yet. Not a guarantee of advancement.
  • Anteambulo: An assistant in ancient Rome who walked ahead of a patron and cleared the way. Holiday uses the word as an image.
  • Alive time: An image from the book: an enforced pause that someone uses to learn and grow stronger.
  • Dead time: An image from the book: a pause during which someone simply waits for the difficult period to end.

All terms

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