Ego is the Enemy: The Fight to Master Our Greatest Opponent
Ryan Holiday
Apr 2026 · Profile Audio · Narrated by Ryan Holiday
headphones
Audiobook
5 hr 36 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
Want a free 34 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
A powerful meditation on the nature and dangers of ego, from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Stillness is the Key, and Obstacle is the Way - over 1 million copies sold
'Re-read it each year. It's that important' Derek Sivers, author of Anything You Want
'Ryan Holiday is one of his generation's finest thinkers' Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art
'This is a book I want every athlete, aspiring leader, entrepreneur, thinker and doer to read' George Raveling, Nike's Director of International Basketball
'Inspiring yet practical' Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power
It's wrecked the careers of promising young geniuses. It's evaporated great fortunes and run companies into the ground. It's made adversity unbearable and turned struggle into shame. Every great philosopher has warned against it, in our most lasting stories and countless works of art, in all culture and all ages. Its name? Ego, and it is the enemy - of ambition, of success and of resilience.
In Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday shows us how and why ego is such a powerful internal opponent to be guarded against at all stages of our careers and lives, and that we can only create our best work when we identify, acknowledge and disarm its dangers. Drawing on an array of inspiring characters and narratives from literature, philosophy and history, the book explores the nature and dangers of ego to illustrate how you can be humble in your aspirations, gracious in your success and resilient in your failures.
The result is an inspiring and timely reminder that humility and confidence are our greatest friends when confronting the challenges of a culture that tends to fan the flames of ego, a book full of themes and life lessons that will resonate, uplift and inspire.
'Re-read it each year. It's that important' Derek Sivers, author of Anything You Want
'Ryan Holiday is one of his generation's finest thinkers' Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art
'This is a book I want every athlete, aspiring leader, entrepreneur, thinker and doer to read' George Raveling, Nike's Director of International Basketball
'Inspiring yet practical' Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power
It's wrecked the careers of promising young geniuses. It's evaporated great fortunes and run companies into the ground. It's made adversity unbearable and turned struggle into shame. Every great philosopher has warned against it, in our most lasting stories and countless works of art, in all culture and all ages. Its name? Ego, and it is the enemy - of ambition, of success and of resilience.
In Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday shows us how and why ego is such a powerful internal opponent to be guarded against at all stages of our careers and lives, and that we can only create our best work when we identify, acknowledge and disarm its dangers. Drawing on an array of inspiring characters and narratives from literature, philosophy and history, the book explores the nature and dangers of ego to illustrate how you can be humble in your aspirations, gracious in your success and resilient in your failures.
The result is an inspiring and timely reminder that humility and confidence are our greatest friends when confronting the challenges of a culture that tends to fan the flames of ego, a book full of themes and life lessons that will resonate, uplift and inspire.
A powerful meditation on the nature and dangers of ego, from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Stillness is the Key, and Obstacle is the Way - over 1 million copies sold
'Re-read it each year. It's that important' Derek Sivers, author of Anything You Want
'Ryan Holiday is one of hi...
Discover more
About the author
Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of Trust Me, I'm Lying, Growth Hacker Marketing and The Obstacle is the Way. His books have been translated into seventeen languages and his writing has appeared everywhere from the Columbia Journalism Review to Fast Company. He was director of marketing at American Apparel for many years, and his strategies in growth hacking and advertising are used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube and Google.
Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of Trust Me, I'm Lying, Growth Hacker Marketing and The Obstacle is the Way. His books have been translated into seventeen languages and his writing has appeared everywhere from the Columbia Journalism Review to Fast Company. He was director of marketing at ...
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
