In his recent Globe & Mail column, “The Benefit of Silencing Our Own Egos,” Harvey Schachter writes,
“Columbia University psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman observes on the Scientific American blog that media debates he watches these days want to make his head explode: ‘All our egos are just too damn loud.’ And those out-of-control egos we witness in the media probably contribute to our own manner when leading.”
“When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package.”
– John Ruskin
“This dumb ox will fill the whole world with his bellowing.”
– Albertus Magnus
“None so empty, as those who are full of themselves.”
– Benjamin Whichcote
“Fear seems to have many causes. Fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of being hurt, and so on, but ultimately all fear is the ego’s fear of death, of annihilation. To the ego, death is always just around the corner. In this mind-identified state, fear of death affects every aspect of your life.”
– Eckhart Tolle
“Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity.”
– Frank Leahy
“Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.”
– George Bernard Shaw
“Egotism: The art of seeing in yourself what others cannot see.”
– George Higgins
“The ego is an important psychological structure that plays an important role in a human being’s dealing with the world, but it is not ultimately who we are. In fact, the ego can create powerful blockades of pride, shame, and fear that prevent too many people from opening themselves up to love and healing.”
– Eben Alexander, Living in a Mindful Universe: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Heart of Consciousness
“Niles, I’ve got news for you. Copernicus called and you’re not the center of the universe.”
– Frasier Crane, Frasier
“I have my faults, but being wrong isn’t one of them.”
– Jimmy Hoffa
“Level 5 Leaders look out the window to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well (and if they cannot find a specific person or event to give credit to, they credit good luck). At the same time, they look in the mirror to apportion responsibility, never blaming bad luck when things go poorly….The great irony is that the animus and personal ambition that often drive people to positions of power stand at odds with the humility required for Level 5 leadership.”
– Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t
“But enough about me, let’s talk about you. What do you think of me?”
– Bette Midler
Further Reading
- Is There a Place for Ego in Effective Leadership?
- Charisma Confusion: It’s Often a Weakness and Humility a Strength
- What’s Your Me/We Ratio?
- Say What? Are the Best Leaders Listeners or Talkers?
- Hypocrisy and Egotism: Me-Deep in Fooling Myself
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