Ego Is the Enemy

By: Ryan Holiday

Narrated by: Ryan Holiday

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

"While the history books are filled with tales of obsessive visionary geniuses who remade the world in their images with sheer, almost irrational force, I've found that history is also made by individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition." (From the prologue)

©2016 Portfolio (P)2016 Tim Ferriss Audio

Good content, tedious performance

What did you love best about Ego Is the Enemy?

The book has a great message that everyone ought to hear, especially since we live in a world with social media and the power to craft your self-image and story. It's helped me out a lot in the way I view myself, and I've already noticed things about my behavior I could change to keep my ego under control.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from Ego Is the Enemy?

Unfortunately the performance is incredibly dull and unprofessional. He mumbles, he speaks too quickly, he's monotone, and overall he sounds like a robot reciting words on a page rather than trying to tell a story. This is a prime example of how to not narrate an audiobook. Halfway through I was dying to just get to the end because I didn't want to listen to his boring voice anymore. The sad thing is that in the closing interview portion with Tim Ferris, you can hear Ryan Holiday speak with a natural conversational tone and a sense of fervor that isn't present in his audiobook performance. Ryan Holiday, if you're reading this, the next time you narrate an audiobook, try reading it as though you're speaking to a friend.

Any additional comments?

I think I'll pick up a copy of the book because I did enjoy the content, and it's enough to save this audiobook.

45 of 54 people found this review helpful

Disappointing. Thin, weak reading.

I bought this book a rather strong recommendation by Tim Ferris. Tim went down in my estimation with this glorified essay. The content is thin, the point is obvious.

There seems to be a trend at the moment in taking classic knowledge (Ancient Roman / Greek) and rehashing if for anxious West Coast / Bay Area types. This book makes you feel a little bit embarrassed for the author.

Ego is the Enemy...could have been a one pager on a blog.

This is a case of networked buddies ( Tim F etc) all doing each other a favor ...

Ryan certainly has an audience. The sheer number of positive reviews on here swayed me.

I'll be more careful in future.

Word of warning on narration.

Ryan did a selfie on narration.

It's terribly self conscious and adds to the hollowness of the content.

His pronouncing of the word 'naivety' made me wince...

Hope you enjoy. I had to stop half way through...

151 of 185 people found this review helpful

belief in the indestructible self is destructive

this book provides an amazing array of anecdotes and advice for pushing ego aside in favor of a dispassionate view of reality. our society parts us on the back so much that we all believe we are the best, and we kill ourselves getting to prove it. instead, take a step back and realize how much you still need to grow, and take the time to do the growing.

23 of 28 people found this review helpful

great book

it took time to get used to the voice. I would have preferred another narrator.

18 of 22 people found this review helpful

Woven well

I love the way this book was broken down. Great quotes and examples by a thoughtful, articulate author who staves off hubris. Essentially it's nice to get helpful examples on life improvement from someone who gets it, but still stumbles. Great stuff. Audio extra w Tim Ferris was a great addition. Well worth the credit.

41 of 52 people found this review helpful

Full of historical anecdotes

This book is not my usual fare, but when I heard about it on The Joe Rogan Experience, I decided to give it a shot. 6 hours of listening for $10, what was there to lose? It was absolutely worth it. I think most of us know several people in our lives who would benifit from reading Ego is the Enemy, but the person who needs it most may just be you!

33 of 42 people found this review helpful

2 words... A Mazing

I've already listened to it twice, I have the hardcover and I'm going to listen it again and again over the years. The lessons in this book are in the forefront of my mind and I've already seen errors in my thinking and decisions based in satisfying ego and have made corrections

If you have an open mind, get this book!

If you have a strong ego, you need this book but it will do nothing for you. I hope you prove me wrong

33 of 43 people found this review helpful

Only made it 2 hours

I only made it two hours into this book before I had to turn it off. I did not like it. It seems to bounce from quote to quote with filler in between like a college freshman trying to hit a minimum page requirement. It would have been better off as an essay or blog post.

I bought this book base on the positive reviews, and clearly there is an audience out there for it, but it's not for me.

8 of 10 people found this review helpful

Another good Holiday read

This is the book you wish you could find in the Self Help or Christian Living section. Refreshing, therapeutic, well researched, well written. This is the rare listen which is good for the soul and the mind.

Performance gets a hit because the book length is misleading. It's only 5.5 hours, with interviews and whatnot following.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

depressing and inspirational at the same time

Ryan holiday tells you like it is whether you want to hear it or not. In this book he accurately, through storytelling and examples, tells us how we sometimes are our worst enemies when we can not realize truth. Ego can be dangerous and this book does a great job of presenting why to be wary.

17 of 22 people found this review helpful

For the self-critical reader, this is a gem.

Inspired some self reflection for me. This book gave me pause, reason to want to be more ego-aware, and a new vocabulary for talking about ego. Surrounded by high achievers, it's easy to get lost in the rat race and not stay grounded. This book helped me see where I had/have drifted from my principles.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Gamechanger

Wasn't sure about this book,if it's what I was looking for todo with EGO but after research on amazing and Instagram decided to get it. Completed it completely over a few days as got engrossed into it. The interview at the end did a superb job and now I'm thinking of getting either the Obstacle or the Stoic book. Great listen, great guy. Highly recommended folks👌🏽

18 of 20 people found this review helpful

Essential Reading

Essential listening for artists, makers, doers and entrepreneurs. Probably worth listening to twice and would recommend doing so.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

There are 2 books I wish I had the talent to have written.

This is one of them. I learned so much from my first listen. I've just finished my 4th in 2 weeks. It's been very uncomfortable as I was able to play back my many mistakes in full, gory detail to understand why I'd created the conditions I was hoping I wouldn't. A fabulous book but not for the faint hearted.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Wonderful life lessons

I really enjoyed this book. Always nice when narrated by the author and the stories used really brought the stoic and Buddhist philosophy lessons to life. Would also give a shout out to the brilliant bibliography and quotes that you can download from his website. Very thoughtful of the author for those listening via an audiobook.

10 of 12 people found this review helpful

Epic. True. Punishing.

A great rules & stories of defeat & achievment.Take a courage & discover your possibilities.

10 of 12 people found this review helpful

Don't be put off by the title!

Would you listen to Ego Is the Enemy again? Why?

I was initially put off Ryan's book due to the title - I think it can be very counter productive to wage a war against aspects of our psychology and framing them as the enemy. I think it's better to see them as fragmented sick parts which need healing. However once I got into this book it was absolutely amazing. I've been doing self work for some time but this book exposed egoic patterns I had previously been unaware of running in myself and for this reason was an uncomfortable read at times but so worth it. I loved Ryan's previous book 'The Obstacle is the Way' which is equally amazing and helpful (I recently re-read this to help me through some big changes at my job - I even got additional copies to hand to colleagues to help them with this). I'm very excited to see what Ryan comes up with next and wouldn't hesitate to recommend either of these books to anyone who is interested in living a fuller, more rewarding, and relaxing life.

14 of 18 people found this review helpful

Succinct and profound

Ryan has done an awesome job of curating and interpreting some of history's greatest lessons in a series of digestible anecdotes.
Highly recommended reading/listening for anybody looking for guidance in a professional or personal capacity.

14 of 18 people found this review helpful

Everyone should read/listen to Obstacle/Ego

If you could sum up Ego Is the Enemy in three words, what would they be?

Listen. Sweep. Repeat.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ego Is the Enemy?

The whole thing.

What does Ryan Holiday bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

His emotion and emphasise on certain sentences and words.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me smile and sigh.

Any additional comments?

Get it and listen through. Also get Obstacle. Very easy and simply written. Perfect for all young people who are starting out and a good slap around the face of those who are elder and think they shouldn't bother and don't need to read these books.

10 of 13 people found this review helpful

Made me think a lot about myself

I work in the public space and have a need for online feedback towards my work in my niche.

Reading this has made me more self-aware to my own actions.

It's time to let it go.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful