Ego Quotes

So whenever that brittle voice of dissatisfaction emerges within me, I can say Ah, my ego! There you are, old friend! It's the same thing when I'm being criticized and I notice myself reaching with outrage, heartache, or defensiveness. It's just my ego, flaring up and testing its power. In such circumstances, I have learned to watch my heated emotions carefully, but I try not to take them too seriously, because I know that it's merely my ego that has been wounded--never my soul It is merely my ego that wants revenge, or to win the biggest prize. It is merely my ego that wants to start a Twitter war against a hater, or to sulk at an insult or to quit in righteous indignation because I didn't get the outcome I wanted. At such times, I can always steady my life one more by returning to my soul. I ask it, And what is it that you want, dear one?The answer is always the same: More wonder, please.As long as I'm still moving in that direction---toward wonder--then I know I will always be fine in my soul, which is where it counts. And since creativity is still the most effective way for me to access wonder, I choose it.

~ Elizabeth Gilbert

All great leaders find a sense of balance through their levels of reception. For instance, those who support a leader may soften him, those who ignore him may challenge him, and those who oppose him may stroke his ego.

~ Criss Jami

The only nations which deny the utility of provincial liberties are those which have fewest of them; in other words, those who are unacquainted with the institution are the only persons who passed censure upon it.

~ Alexis De Tocqueville

Confronted by menace or what is perceived as menace, governments will usually attempt to smash it, rarely to examine it, understand it, and drefine it.

~ Barbara W. Tuchman

A sense of messianic purpose makes the national interest almost indistinguishable from the political interests of the president.

~ Ron Suskind

They loved the sound of their own voices. No decision would be reached anytime soon.

~ Stephen L. Carter

If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that... I believe in what I do, and I'll say it.

~ John Lennon

Time and time again does the pride of man influence his very own fall. While denying it, one gradually starts to believe that he is the authority, or that he possesses great moral dominion over others, yet it is spiritually unwarranted. By that point he loses steam; in result, he falsely begins trying to prove that unwarranted dominion by seizing the role of a condemner.

~ Criss Jami

Such excessive preoccupation with his faults is not a truly spiritual activity but, on the contrary, a highly egoistic one.The recognition of his own faults should make a man humbler, when it is beneficial, not prouder, which the thought that he ought to have been above these faults makes him.

~ Paul Brunton

For true liberation, the only war we need to win is the war between presence and ego.

~ John Maiorana (Oohgiovanni)

What does syadvad (speech that does not hurt the ego of any living being) speech say? Speak in such a way that 5 people benefit from it and that it does not interfere [conflict] with anyone.

~ Dada Bhagwan

The ego destroys the world as well it is the ego which grows the world.

~ Dada Bhagwan

What will the ego not do? It is the ego that has given rise to all this. And when the ego leaves, there is Liberation.

~ Dada Bhagwan

The nature of the ego is to misuse whatever authority one has.

~ Dada Bhagwan

What does egoism mean? It means to become blind through one’s own vision. The Gnani [the enlightened one] removes the egoism.

~ Dada Bhagwan

God does remain in a state of witnessing (sakshibhav), but that is a worldly God. Worldly God means witnessing through ‘egoism’. If one constantly remains in the witnessing state, then he would not bind karma.

~ Dada Bhagwan

The ‘one’ who does no ‘egoism’, the worldly life ends for him!

~ Dada Bhagwan

Neither the world nor one’s actions cause obstructions; kashays (inner anger, pride, deceit, greed) cause obstruction!

~ Dada Bhagwan

As long as the egoism is there, how can one attain the true religion?

~ Dada Bhagwan

Egoism itself is non-religion (adharma) and where there is no egoism that indeed is religion. Without the presence of a living Gnani, it is not possible for egoism to decrease.

~ Dada Bhagwan

Humans in this world live based on two things: one is on the basis of the Self and the other is on the basis of the egoism.

~ Dada Bhagwan

The kashays (inner anger, pride, deceit and greed) that keep one entrenched in the coolness of the worldly life are the very thing that makes one wander life after life.

~ Dada Bhagwan

As long as there is greed (desire) for even a single situation, one will have to come back into the world and wandering will continue until then.

~ Dada Bhagwan

Every human being is indeed unhappy as long as he is not free from kashays.

~ Dada Bhagwan

The one whose kashays, (inner anger, pride, deceit, greed) are gone is worthy of worship. The absence of inner intent of kashays is indeed Gnani!

~ Dada Bhagwan

Conflict forces us to be fully present because it shatters our ego – stripping away all hope of escape or sugar coating. It removes everything that is nonessential to our authentic being; it removes all superficial layers. Conflict is painful because it wakes us up out of our created illusions. And if we lean into it, conflict can be the catalyst to our enlightenment.

~ Alaric Hutchinson

What spreads the stench of bad conduct? It is the egoism and other ‘flaws’.

~ Dada Bhagwan

Seeing the faults of others is indeed an echo of our own fault, the biggest fault is our own fault. That is known as the mad ego.

~ Dada Bhagwan

As long as this belief, ‘I am the doer’ is not gone, one has not yet attained an iota of exact religion. He is still in the auspicious-inauspicious [shubh-ashubh] state.

~ Dada Bhagwan

Why should I care?’ – The one who says this is the greatest offender of nature.

~ Dada Bhagwan

Tolerance is an attribute of egoism.

~ Dada Bhagwan

There is no Gnan (True Knowledge) where there is ‘egoism’ and where there is Gnan, there is no ‘egoism’.

~ Dada Bhagwan

Someone may have a broken heart or someone may have a broken ego. Such people will have to suffer tremendously because of that.

~ Dada Bhagwan

The mind that does inner intentions (bhaav-mann) is the ‘charge’ mind. The mind that is getting exhausted (dravya-mann) is the ‘discharge’ mind. Bhaav-mann creates the worldly life. Dravya-mann brings an end to the worldly life. When egoism goes away, bhaav-mann vanishes.

~ Dada Bhagwan

What does the world teach you? It teaches you (to do) egoism. Then, from that egoism, arise many many phases!

~ Dada Bhagwan

What is the value of the Gnani’s [the enlightened one’s] feet? It is a value that is immeasurable. The Gnani’s feet is one & the only solvent to dissolve egoism.

~ Dada Bhagwan

As long as there is the egoism of ‘I-ness’ (hoonpanu) and the partiality towards ‘my-ness’ (marapanu), how can there be liberation till then?

~ Dada Bhagwan

In reality, the outer instruments (hands, feet, eyes, etc) are not the hindrance (for liberation); it is the inner instrument (mind, intellect, chit and ego) that is obstructive.

~ Dada Bhagwan

If you say a word against a ‘sensitive’ person, it will have an immediate effect. In reality, words are simply a ‘record’ playing.

~ Dada Bhagwan

In this world, it is not worth finding anyone’s faults. One becomes bound (by karma) by finding faults.

~ Dada Bhagwan