626 Quotes by Ryan Holiday

One might say that the ability to evaluate one's own ability is the most important skill of all. Without it, improvement is impossible.

The first product of self-knowledge is humility," Flannery O'Connor once said. This is how we fight the ego, by really knowing ourselves.

Para parafrasear a Epicuro, quienes tienen ideas narcisistas viven en una “ciudad sin muros”. Nuestro frágil sentido del yo está bajo constante amenaza. Las ilusiones, los logros, eso no sirve de defensa. No cuando tenemos esa sensible antena especial entrenada para recibir (y crear) las señales que desafían nuestro precario balance.Es una miserable manera de vivir.

Stoicism is designed to be medicine for the soul.

You owe it to yourself and to the world to actively engage with the brief moment you have with this planet. You cannot retreat exclusively into ideas. You must contribute.

Find canvases for other people to paint on. Clear the path for the people above you and you will eventually create a path for yourself. Greatness comes from humble beginnings; it comes from grunt work. It means you’re the least important person in the room - until you change that with results.

Our own path, whatever we aspire to, will in some ways be defined by the amount of nonsense we are willing to deal with. It doesn’t matter how talented you are, how great your connections are, how much money you have. When you want to do something - something big and important and meaningful - you will be subjected to treatment ranging from indifference to outright sabotage.Those who have subdued their ego understand that it doens’t degrade you when others treat you poorly; it degrades them.

Pride takes a minor accomplishment and makes it feel like a major one. From the start, it drives a wedge between the possessor and reality, subtly and not so subtly changing her perceptions of what something is and what it isn't. It is these steering opinions, only loosely secured by fact or accomplishment, that send us careering toward delusion or worse.

Is that to say that managing your image isn't important? Of course not. Early in your career, you'll notice that you jump on every opportunity to do so. As you become more accomplished, you'll realize that so much of it is a distraction from your work - time spent with reporters, with awards, and with marketing are time away from what you really care about. Who has time to look at a picture of himself? What's the point?