Summary of Ryan Holiday's Ego is the Enemy is Ryan Holiday’s attack on the role that ego can play in the lives of most people. Holiday does not use the term “ego” in the traditional Freudian sense but rather as a synonym for excessive self-regard, or egotism. Thanks to the Internet and social media, having an inflated ego is now more encouraged in Western society than ever before. Nevertheless, learning how to cultivate an authentic sense of oneself and one’s abilities is vital for living gracefully and achieving one’s goals.
Although history is populated by famous and even notorious egomaniacs, the most influential and successful people were more often those who focused on their life’s work with humility and dedication. Compare, for example, the outsized ego of Napoleon, whose grandiose imperial ambitions ended in shame and exile, with the character of American general William Tecumseh Sherman. After retiring from the military, he refused to run for president...
