Ego is the Enemy

Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday is the second book in his Stoic trilogy and an examination of the most persistent obstacle to greatness: our own inflated sense of self. Holiday argues that ego, the need to be right, to be praised, to be more than we are, undermines us at three critical junctures: when we aspire to something great, when we achieve success, and when we face failure. Drawing on figures as diverse as William Tecumseh Sherman, Howard Hughes, Katharine Graham, and Genghis Khan, he shows how ego drove otherwise extraordinary people to catastrophic self-destruction, and how humility, discipline, and honest self-assessment are the foundations of lasting achievement. Essential for ambitious people in any field.