• Ego Is the Enemy

  • By: Ryan Holiday
  • Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
  • Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (12,935 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Ego Is the Enemy  By  cover art

Ego Is the Enemy

By: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.50

Buy for $17.50

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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

What listeners say about Ego Is the Enemy

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9,748
  • 4 Stars
    2,138
  • 3 Stars
    712
  • 2 Stars
    191
  • 1 Stars
    146
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7,923
  • 4 Stars
    2,054
  • 3 Stars
    687
  • 2 Stars
    169
  • 1 Stars
    135
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8,073
  • 4 Stars
    1,867
  • 3 Stars
    648
  • 2 Stars
    168
  • 1 Stars
    133

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

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...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

253 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

126 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth reading

I honestly feel sad for anybody who passed up on this audio book, based on the previous negative review. This guy accomplished more in his life than most people ever will. He's qualified to talk about ego. This recording changed my life. Read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

68 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Just awful

Completely fooled by the reviews. This was a waste of my audible credit. Poorly narrated. Monotone voice makes you want to doze off. Listening to this guy ramble on about how successful he was almost made me immediately put this down. After listening for two hours and realizing I was getting life advice from a late 20's know nothing, I put this book away and went and found something else. Just a really useless book from an author with nothing meaningful to say.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

62 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

45 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

40 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great book

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

35 people found this helpful