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    “Hate at any point is a cancer that gnaws away at the very vital center of your life and your existence.  It is like eroding acid that eats away the best and the objective center of your life.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr., via Ego is the Enemy

      “Attempting to destroy something out of hate or ego often ensures that it will be preserved and disseminated forever.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

        “Your potential, the absolute best you’re capable of – that’s the metric to measure yourself against.  Your standards are.  Winning is not enough.  People can get lucky and win.  People can be assholes and win.  Anyone can win.  But not everyone is the best possible version of themselves.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

          “If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.” ~ Emile Zola, via Ego is the Enemy

            “The more you have and do, the harder maintaining fidelity to your purpose will be, but the more critically you will need to.  Everyone buys into the myth that if only they had that – usually what someone else has – they would be happy.  It may take getting burned a few times to realize the emptiness of this illusion.  We all occasionally find ourselves in the middle of some project or obligation and can’t understand why we’re there.  It will take courage and faith to stop yourself.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

              “Too often, convinced of our own intelligence, we stay in a comfort zone that ensures that we never feel stupid (and are never challenged to learn or reconsider what we know).  It obscures from view various weakness in our understanding, until eventually it’s too late to change course.  This is where the silent toll is taken.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

                “Do you know how you can tell when someone is truly humble?  I believe there’s one simple test: because they consistently observe and listen, the humble improve.  They don’t assume, ‘I know the way.'” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

                  “Success is intoxicating, yet to sustain it requires sobriety.  We can’t keep learning if we think we already know everything.  We cannot buy into myths we make ourselves, or the noise and chatter of the outside world.  We must understand that we are a small part of an interconnected universe.  On top of all this, we have to build an organization and a system around what we do – one that is about the work and not about us.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

                    “Why is success so ephemeral? Ego shortens it.  Whether a collapse is dramatic or a slow erosion, it’s always possible and often unnecessary.  We stop learning, we stop listening, and we lose our grasp on what matters.  We become victims of ourselves and the competition.  Sobriety, open-mindedness, organization, and purpose – these are the great stabilizers.  They balance out the ego and pride that comes with achievement and recognition.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

                      “Every time you sit down to work, remind yourself: I am delaying gratification by doing this.  I am passing the marshmallow test.  I am earning what my ambition burns for.  I am making an investment in myself instead of in my ego.  Give yourself a little credit for this choice, but not so much, because you’ve got to get back to the task at hand: practicing, working, improving.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

                        “We tend to be on guard against negativity, against the people who are discouraging us from pursuing our callings or doubting the visions we have for ourselves.  This is certainly an obstacle to beware of, though dealing with it is rather simple.  What we cultivate less is how to protect ourselves against the validation and gratification that will quickly come our way if we show promise.  What we don’t protect ourselves against are people and things that make us feel good – or rather, too good.  We must prepare for pride and kill it early – or it will kill what we aspire to.  We must be on guard against that wild self-confidence and self-obsession.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

                          “Christians believe that pride is a sin because it is a lie – it convinces people that they are better than they are, that they are better than God made them.  Pride leads to arrogance and then away from humility and connection with their fellow man.  You don’t have to be Christian to see the wisdom in this.  You need only to care about your career to understand that pride – even in real accomplishments – is a distraction and a deluder.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

                            “Living clearly and presently takes courage.  Don’t live in the haze of the abstract, live with the tangible and real, even if – especially if – it’s uncomfortable.  Be part of what’s going on around you.  Feast on it, adjust for it.  There’s no one to perform for. There is just work to be done and lessons to be learned, in all that is around us.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy