--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ego is just waiting to identify with…" description: "\"The ego is just waiting to identify with anything. Whether it's your misery or being a great meditator, it seeks some identification.\" — Eckhart Tolle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/eckhart-tolle-81_ego_the-ego-is-just-waiting-to-identify-with_2036212.jpg" --- # The ego is just waiting to identify with anything. Whether… ![“The ego is just waiting to identify with anything. Whether it's your misery or being a great meditator, it seeks some identification.” quote by Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/eckhart-tolle-81_ego_the-ego-is-just-waiting-to-identify-with_2036212.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/eckhart-tolle-81_ego_the-ego-is-just-waiting-to-identify-with_2036212.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/eckhart-tolle-81_ego_the-ego-is-just-waiting-to-identify-with_2036212.jpg) > “The ego is just waiting to identify with anything. Whether it's your misery or being a great meditator, it seeks some identification.” [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ego constantly seeks identification, attaching to experiences, emotions, or roles, which sustains suffering. **In simple terms:** Ego clings to identities, causing suffering. Key Takeaway Observe ego’s identification patterns. Themes spirituality self-awareness identity Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - therapy - conflict resolution - creative work Key Concepts mindfulness non-attachment Questions to Reflect On - How can you notice when the ego is attaching to something? - What benefits arise from letting go of identification? A Different Perspective Identifying with the ego can be hard when it feels protective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Identification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identification/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Ego is the complete identification with form. Physical forms, thought forms, emotional forms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/ego-is-the-complete-identification-with-form-physical-forms-thought/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Although an increasing number of humans are undergoing a process of awakening, identification with thinking is still the prevalent state of consciousness. Thinking is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/although-an-increasing-number-of-humans-are-undergoing-a-process-of/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [When you completely accept this moment, when you no longer argue with what is, the compulsion to think lessens and is replaced by an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-completely-accept-this-moment-when-you-no-longer-argue-with/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-most-common-ego-identifications-have-to-do-with-possessions-the/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could spare them from all suffering? No, it wouldn't. They would not evolve as human beings and would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/wouldn-t-it-be-wonderful-if-you-could-spare-them-from-all-suffering/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Ego means self-identification with thinking, to be trapped in thought, which means to have a mental image of "me" based on thought and emotions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/ego-means-self-identification-with-thinking-to-be-trapped-in-thought/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Acceptance of what is immediately frees you from mind identification and thus reconnects you with Being. Resistance is the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/acceptance-of-what-is-immediately-frees-you-from-mind-identification/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“There is nothing that strengthens the ego more than being right. Being right is identification with a mental position - a perspective, an opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-is-nothing-that-strengthens-the-ego-more-than-being-right-being/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [A self - a me - exists in every thought and every emotion. Suffering arises through complete identification with thinking and emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/a-self-a-me-exists-in-every-thought-and-every-emotion-suffering/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [When you recognize that there is a voice in your head that pretends to be you and never stops speaking, you are awakening out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-recognize-that-there-is-a-voice-in-your-head-that-pretends/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [When great loss happens - deaths close to you or your own approaching death - this is an opportunity for stepping completely out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-great-loss-happens-deaths-close-to-you-or-your-own-approaching/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [By far the greater part of violence that humans inflicted on each other is not the work of criminals or mentally deranged, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/by-far-the-greater-part-of-violence-that-humans-inflicted-on-each/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Until presence becomes your predominant state, you may find yourself moving back and forth for a while between the old consciousness and the new,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/until-presence-becomes-your-predominant-state-you-may-find-yourself/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [The ego is a false sense based on mental concepts. It is identification with the body and the mind-primarily identification with thought form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-ego-is-a-false-sense-based-on-mental-concepts-it-is/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) ## More by Eckhart Tolle > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“A powerful spiritual practice is consciously to allow the diminishment of ego when it happens without attempting to restore it. I recommend that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/a-powerful-spiritual-practice-is-consciously-to-allow-the/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [To become aware of the subtlety of nature you need to be alert. The moment you become alert you become still... thinking subsides. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-become-aware-of-the-subtlety-of-nature-you-need-to-be-alert-the/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [When you are not honoring the present moment by allowing it to be, you are creating drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-are-not-honoring-the-present-moment-by-allowing-it-to-be-you/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a joyous energy behind what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/on-a-deeper-level-you-are-already-complete-when-you-realize-that/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/life-will-give-you-whatever-experience-is-most-helpful-for-the/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [You may not yet be able to bring your unconscious mind activity into awareness as thoughts, but it will always be reflected in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-may-not-yet-be-able-to-bring-your-unconscious-mind-activity-into/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“War is a mind-set, and all action that comes out of such a mind-set will either strengthen the enemy, the perceived evil, or, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/war-is-a-mind-set-and-all-action-that-comes-out-of-such-a-mind-set/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Whenever you step out of the noise of thinking, that is meditation, and a different state of consciousness arises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/whenever-you-step-out-of-the-noise-of-thinking-that-is-meditation-and/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Get the inside right, and the outside will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/get-the-inside-right-and-the-outside-will-take-care-of-itself/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [It is very hard to tell when I started to be a spiritual teacher. There was a time when occasionally somebody would come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/it-is-very-hard-to-tell-when-i-started-to-be-a-spiritual-teacher/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Most people spend their entire life imprisoned within the confines of their own thoughts. They never go beyond a narrow, mind-made, personalized sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/most-people-spend-their-entire-life-imprisoned-within-the-confines-of/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Let the end of the world be inside you, then you don't need to fear the end of the world out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/let-the-end-of-the-world-be-inside-you-then-you-don-t-need-to-fear/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Jeste li zabrinuti? Razmišljate li često: »Što bi bilo da sam...?« To znači da ste se poistovjetili s umom, koji se projicira u neku…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/jeste-li-zabrinuti-razmi-ljate-li-esto-to-bi-bilo-da-sam-to-zna-i-da/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) [Explore all 1,493 Eckhart Tolle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) ## More Ego quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [I love playing ego and insecurity combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/i-love-playing-ego-and-insecurity-combined/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I'm a straight shooter, and most of the time my ego doesn't interrupt my relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-macht/i-m-a-straight-shooter-and-most-of-the-time-my-ego-doesn-t-interrupt/) [Gabriel Macht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-macht/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [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/) > [“There are two kinds of people: goal-oriented and ego-oriented. Goal-oriented people work together and get things gone. Ego-oriented people don’t work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charbel-tadros/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-goal-oriented-and-ego-oriented-goal/) [Charbel Tadros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charbel-tadros/) > [Heart surgeons do not have the world's smallest egos: when you ask them to name the world's three leading practitioners, they never can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/heart-surgeons-do-not-have-the-world-s-smallest-egos-when-you-ask/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I hate acting when I see it. I don't want to feel it, I don't want to see it, I want to be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-hauer/i-hate-acting-when-i-see-it-i-don-t-want-to-feel-it-i-don-t-want-to/) [Rutger Hauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-hauer/) > [It's a constant man-ego-check going on in the streets, in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/it-s-a-constant-man-ego-check-going-on-in-the-streets-in-this-world/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [“... a man doesn't like to have his ego popped, especially when he prides himself on his sagacity, and then to be proved wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-a-bucchianeri/a-man-doesn-t-like-to-have-his-ego-popped-especially-when-he-prides/) [E.A. Bucchianeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-a-bucchianeri/) > [Our real nature is not our imaginary, limited ego. Our true nature is vast, all-comprehensive, and intangible as empty space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anagarika-govinda/our-real-nature-is-not-our-imaginary-limited-ego-our-true-nature-is/) [Anagarika Govinda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anagarika-govinda/) > [The man of wisdom is devoid of ego even though he may appear to use it. His vacant or fasting mind is neither doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramesh-s-balsekar/the-man-of-wisdom-is-devoid-of-ego-even-though-he-may-appear-to-use/) [Ramesh S Balsekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramesh-s-balsekar/) > [Show me success without ego!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivana-trump/show-me-success-without-ego/) [Ivana Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivana-trump/) [Browse all 3,462 Ego quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The ego is just waiting to identify with anything. 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