--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Learn to control ego. Humans hold their…" description: "\"Learn to control ego. Humans hold their dogmas and biases too tightly, and we only think that our opponents are dogmatic! But we all need criticism. Cr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/david-brin-3024_antidote_learn-to-control-ego-humans-hold-their-d_1596156.png" --- # Learn to control ego. Humans hold their dogmas and biases… ![“Learn to control ego. Humans hold their dogmas and biases too tightly, and we only think that our opponents are dogmatic! But we all need criticism. Criticism is the only known antidote to error.” quote by David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/david-brin-3024_antidote_learn-to-control-ego-humans-hold-their-d_1596156.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/david-brin-3024_antidote_learn-to-control-ego-humans-hold-their-d_1596156.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/david-brin-3024_antidote_learn-to-control-ego-humans-hold-their-d_1596156.png) > “Learn to control ego. Humans hold their dogmas and biases too tightly, and we only think that our opponents are dogmatic! But we all need criticism. Criticism is the only known antidote to error.” [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ego and rigid beliefs hinder understanding; criticism is essential for correcting mistakes and growth. **In simple terms:** Criticism helps fix errors. Key Takeaway Embrace criticism to improve. Themes ego criticism learning Mood reflective educational Type psychology self‑improvement When to use this quote - team meetings - academic debate - personal reflection Key Concepts cognitive bias humility Questions to Reflect On - How can you give criticism kindly? - When have you benefited from criticism? A Different Perspective Criticism can be harsh and demotivating if not delivered constructively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [There is rampant among us a spirit of criticism. Men and women who carry heavy responsibility do not need criticism, they need encouragement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/there-is-rampant-among-us-a-spirit-of-criticism-men-and-women-who/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [“Those in power don't need more power. They need criticism. They need a mirror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/historian-zeev-sternhell/those-in-power-don-t-need-more-power-they-need-criticism-they-need-a/) historian Zeev Sternhell > [Is the human condition not defined by an endless struggle to control the ego's subterfuges?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rom-o-dallaire/is-the-human-condition-not-defined-by-an-endless-struggle-to-control/) [Roméo Dallaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rom-o-dallaire/) > [Without struggle, there is no progress. There has to be struggle in your life. You have to grow in experience to control your ego.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/without-struggle-there-is-no-progress-there-has-to-be-struggle-in/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [“You can never totally control your ego, but you can understand it enough to make it control itself by convincing it that you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charbel-tadros/you-can-never-totally-control-your-ego-but-you-can-understand-it/) [Charbel Tadros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charbel-tadros/) > [I think that there are always these opponents that you circle back to that you have made some sort of legacy with and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-black/i-think-that-there-are-always-these-opponents-that-you-circle-back-to/) Aleister Black > [I don't think of my opponents in the sense that I don't think of them consciously, I don't steer it one way or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/i-don-t-think-of-my-opponents-in-the-sense-that-i-don-t-think-of-them/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) > [Many people like to think that their moral or political enemies are not just wicked or wrong - as if that were not enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crane/many-people-like-to-think-that-their-moral-or-political-enemies-are/) [Tim Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crane/) > [I think all of my opponents say that, I gas out or whatever. They have to say something about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-nunes/i-think-all-of-my-opponents-say-that-i-gas-out-or-whatever-they-have/) [Amanda Nunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-nunes/) > [I think my opponents have had a bad wrap because it's me who's beat them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-pimblett/i-think-my-opponents-have-had-a-bad-wrap-because-it-s-me-who-s-beat/) [Paddy Pimblett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-pimblett/) > [I always think about our opponents and what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-semien/i-always-think-about-our-opponents-and-what-they-re-doing/) [Marcus Semien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-semien/) > [For us it's better to think of our opponents as idiots. It's easier to play hard against someone you don't like than it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karch-kiraly/for-us-it-s-better-to-think-of-our-opponents-as-idiots-it-s-easier-to/) [Karch Kiraly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karch-kiraly/) > [I have no interest in fighting on the streets - I never did have - but I like to out-think my opponents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hardy/i-have-no-interest-in-fighting-on-the-streets-i-never-did-have-but-i/) [Dan Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hardy/) > [Dogmatic religion has been used to fantastic effect over thousands of years to fuel and exploit emotions like fear and guilt, and the feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/dogmatic-religion-has-been-used-to-fantastic-effect-over-thousands-of/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [We live in a world where it has become politically correct to avoid absolutes. Many want all religions to be given the same honor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-live-in-a-world-where-it-has-become-politically-correct-to-avoid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by David Brin > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Anything done in secret is more likely to result in terrible errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/anything-done-in-secret-is-more-likely-to-result-in-terrible-errors/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Men can be brilliant and strong, they whispered to one another. But men can be mad, as well. And the mad ones can ruin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/men-can-be-brilliant-and-strong-they-whispered-to-one-another-but-men/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Strutting and preening is, in fact, the surest sign of an inferiority complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/strutting-and-preening-is-in-fact-the-surest-sign-of-an-inferiority/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“We aren’t a curse upon the world. We are her new eyes. Her brain, testes, ovaries . . . her ambition and her heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/we-aren-t-a-curse-upon-the-world-we-are-her-new-eyes-her-brain-testes/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [If you believe you can make a living as a writer, you already have enough ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/if-you-believe-you-can-make-a-living-as-a-writer-you-already-have/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Historically, central planners have generally done a poor job of managing economic resources - this we've known since the time of the Pharaohs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/historically-central-planners-have-generally-done-a-poor-job-of/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [A neurosis defends itself by coming up with rationalizations to explain away bizarre behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/a-neurosis-defends-itself-by-coming-up-with-rationalizations-to/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Alas, criticism has always been what human beings, especially leaders, most hate to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/alas-criticism-has-always-been-what-human-beings-especially-leaders/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [It's how creativity works. Especially in humans. For every good idea, ten thousand idiotic ones must first be posed, sifted, tried out, and discarded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/it-s-how-creativity-works-especially-in-humans-for-every-good-idea/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Tragedies such as Nevil Shute's 'On the Beach' and Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr Strangelove' are so powerful because there's an underlying assumption that this did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/tragedies-such-as-nevil-shute-s-on-the-beach-and-stanley-kubrick-s-dr/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [In contrast, markets - oft mythologized as "natural" are the most unnatural things going. Libertarians will tell you "market laws are laws of nature",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/in-contrast-markets-oft-mythologized-as-natural-are-the-most/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Snow and soot covered the ancient tree's broken branches and seared bark. It wasn't dead, not quite yet. Here and there tiny shoots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/snow-and-soot-covered-the-ancient-tree-s-broken-branches-and-seared/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“As simple an act as reading or writing a sentence must be surrounded by perceptory nap and weave . . . an itch, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/as-simple-an-act-as-reading-or-writing-a-sentence-must-be-surrounded/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Ideologies are too seductive anyway. It does a man good to see things from a different point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/ideologies-are-too-seductive-anyway-it-does-a-man-good-to-see-things/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) [Explore all 142 David Brin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) ## More Antidote quotes > [Every well-thought-out rebuttal to dogma, every scrap of intelligent logic, every absurdist reduction of some bullying stance is the antidote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sanders/every-well-thought-out-rebuttal-to-dogma-every-scrap-of-intelligent/) [George Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sanders/) > [The safe and general antidote against sorrow is employment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-safe-and-general-antidote-against-sorrow-is-employment/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [FAITH is the only known antidote for FAILURE!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/faith-is-the-only-known-antidote-for-failure/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Gratitude is the antidote to bitterness and resentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-ryan/gratitude-is-the-antidote-to-bitterness-and-resentment/) [M. J. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-ryan/) > [“Relevance is both an antidote to avoid and a method for driving disruption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spitz/relevance-is-both-an-antidote-to-avoid-and-a-method-for-driving/) [Roger Spitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spitz/) > [If one is experiencing poverty, practice ordinary and extreme generosity - this is the antidote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jetsunma-ahkon-lhamo/if-one-is-experiencing-poverty-practice-ordinary-and-extreme/) [Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jetsunma-ahkon-lhamo/) > [Beto is banking on his sacharrine positivity as the ultimate antidote to President Trump's honest saltiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kennedy-montgomery/beto-is-banking-on-his-sacharrine-positivity-as-the-ultimate-antidote/) [Lisa Kennedy Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kennedy-montgomery/) > [Every evil has its good, and every ill an antidote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-dix/every-evil-has-its-good-and-every-ill-an-antidote/) [Dorothea Dix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-dix/) > [A round of golf is the ideal antidote to stress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-forsyth/a-round-of-golf-is-the-ideal-antidote-to-stress/) [Bruce Forsyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-forsyth/) > [Medical men have searched the world for remedies, desiring an antidote. Chiropractors find the cause in the person ailing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-palmer/medical-men-have-searched-the-world-for-remedies-desiring-an-antidote/) [B. J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-palmer/) > [Hope that is the only antidote to fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/hope-that-is-the-only-antidote-to-fear/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [Music can minister to minds diseased, pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, raze out the written troubles of the brain, and with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/music-can-minister-to-minds-diseased-pluck-from-the-memory-a-rooted/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Both to the rich and poor, wine is the happy antidote for sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/both-to-the-rich-and-poor-wine-is-the-happy-antidote-for-sorrow/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny. It's the only one. It's based on thousands of years of human experience. There is nothing narrow about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/conservatism-is-the-antidote-to-tyranny-it-s-the-only-one-it-s-based/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The antidote for fear of failure is not success but small doses of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/the-antidote-for-fear-of-failure-is-not-success-but-small-doses-of/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) Browse all 412 Antidote quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Learn to control ego. Humans hold their dogmas and biases too tightly, and we only think that our opponents are dogmatic! But we all need criticism. 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