We mistakenly assume that bodily survival has a higher precedence than ego survival. This is simply not generally true. Ego will happily destroy the body for its own sake. Look at overweight executives headed for heart attacks on the way to getting their pictures in Fortune or anorexic models suffering slow starvation on their way to getting their pictures in Vogue. Protecting ego is the general case.
Remember, most of the things you think you need are ego trips designed to bolster your image and your perception of security. . . . You'll waste a lot of energy satisfying your ego only to find that, as soon as it's got what it wants, it ignores all your efforts and promptly nails another list of demands to your forehead. The ego will always try to force you to slave for its vision. I wouldn't stand for that BS if I were you.
It's true that I have a very healthy ego; anybody who creates does.
I was indeed a snob, if you agree with this definition: 'A person who believes that their tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people. ' I do believe that. Not superior to all other people, but to some, most probably including those who think Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen is a great film. That is not simply ego on my part. It is a faith that after writing and teaching about films for more than 40 years, my tastes are more evolved than those of a fanboy.
People come into public life for different reasons. None of us are ego-challenged, I think, or we probably wouldn't be doing what we're doing, so if anyone tells you that they don't like the sound of the applause and the ego gratification, I don't think they're being straight with you.
The ego is not only the unobserved mind, the voice in the head which pretends to be you, but also the unobserved emotions that are the body's reaction to what the voice in the head is saying.
You don't want to vilify your ego.
All my compatriots are asses compared to me.
To get past your ego and its defenses you need to get quiet, be brave, and listen to your inner voices. . . . When you embrace the messages of each aspect of your shadow, you begin to take back the power you’ve given to others and form a bond of trust with your authentic self. The voices of your unembraced qualities, when allowed into your consciousness, will bring you back into balance and harmony with your natural rhythms.
I've been told I have the biggest ego in the world and that it manifests itself when you come to me and say, 'I don't like this' or 'I want a change'. . . and that I relish that because my ego's so big I think I can solve whatever you throw at me and make it even better. I enjoy the interaction and the challenge.
The true opponent in a debate on emptiness is your own ego.
You're the only one who knows when you're using things to protect yourself and keep your ego together and when you're opening and letting things fall apart, letting the world come as it is - working with it rather than struggling against it. You're the only one who knows.
The soul is stronger than the ego. It lives to BE, and give. We are of one Light, illuminating ourselves and those whom we love.
The ego holds us to this world. The ego is the feeling that you are. But you are not, nor have you ever been, nor will you ever be.
Always keep your ego in check and not be afraid to listen. Listening is a great art form.
There are people with a lot more talent than I have who have been weeded out of the league because they couldn't put their egos aside to fill a role.
Every week I read about myself in a magazine, about something that I haven't done or some place that I've never been or don't even know. It's just gossip, rumors, egos, and politics.
What you're always trying to achieve in a creative relationship is one that is egoless. . . ideas belong to the collective. If you can disassociate your own ego from your idea, then, almost always, everybody will arrive at the same decision as to what is best.
When actors give their input, it can be very ego-driven, and directors are scared of that.
The secret to success is to subjugate your ego and serve others.