--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why does the ego play roles? Because of…" description: "\"“Why does the ego play roles? Because of one unexamined assumption, one fundamental error, one unconscious thought. That thought is: I am not enough. O..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eckhart-tolle-81_ancient-greek_why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-o_1585391.jpg" --- # Why does the ego play roles? Because of one unexamined… ![“Why does the ego play roles? Because of one unexamined assumption, one fundamental error, one unconscious thought. That thought is: I am not enough. Other unconscious thoughts follow: I need to play a role in order to get what I need to be fully myself; I need to get more so that I can be more…” quote by Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eckhart-tolle-81_ancient-greek_why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-o_1585391.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eckhart-tolle-81_ancient-greek_why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-o_1585391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eckhart-tolle-81_ancient-greek_why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-o_1585391.jpg) > ““Why does the ego play roles? Because of one unexamined assumption, one fundamental error, one unconscious thought. That thought is: I am not enough. Other unconscious thoughts follow: I need to play a role in order to get what I need to be fully myself; I need to get more so that I can be more. But you cannot be more than you are because underneath your physical and psychological form, you are one with Life itself, one with Being. In form, you are and will always be inferior to some, superior to others. In essence, you are neither inferior nor superior to anyone. True self-esteem and true humility arise out of that realization. In the eyes of the ego, self-esteem and humility are contradictory. In truth, they are one and the same. THE PATHOLOGICAL EGO In a wider sense of the word, the ego itself is pathological, no matter what form it takes. When we look at the ancient Greek root of the word pathological, we discover just how appropriate that term is when applied to the ego. Although the word is normally used to describe a condition of disease, it is derived from pathos, which means suffering. This is, of course, exactly what the Buddha already discovered 2,600 years ago as a characteristic of the human condition. A person in the grip of ego, however, does not recognize suffering as suffering, but will look upon it as the only appropriate response in any given”” [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 creates false roles and inadequacy, but recognizing our unity with life dissolves these patterns. **In simple terms:** Ego drives role‑playing and feelings of not being enough. Key Takeaway Embrace unity, release egoic roles. Themes spirituality self‑esteem humility Mood calm insightful Type spiritual self‑help When to use this quote - therapy sessions - mindfulness practice - leadership development - personal growth Key Concepts non‑dualism psychology identity Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing unity change self‑image? - What practices help quiet the ego? A Different Perspective Ego may reappear under stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient greek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-greek/) [Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Life itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-itself/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [True humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-humility/) ## Related quotes > [In the eyes of the ego, self-esteem and humility are contradictory. In truth, they are one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/in-the-eyes-of-the-ego-self-esteem-and-humility-are-contradictory-in/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [In essence, you are neither inferior nor superior to anyone. True self-esteem and true humility arise out of that realization. In the eyes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/in-essence-you-are-neither-inferior-nor-superior-to-anyone-true-self/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [When the pain that the little me creates for itself becomes intense enough, the ego will self-destruct. It has a self-destruct mechanism built in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-the-pain-that-the-little-me-creates-for-itself-becomes-intense/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“In essence, you are neither inferior nor superior to anyone. True self-esteem and true humility arise out of that realization”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/in-essence-you-are-neither-inferior-nor-superior-to-anyone-true-self-2/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“The ego (one’s self-perception) is a very shaky structure, easily undermined by unconscious drives and desires. It is possible to repress those drives for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/the-ego-one-s-self-perception-is-a-very-shaky-structure-easily/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [Like all other lonely or hungry things, ego loves the light. It sees light, and the possibility of being close to the soul, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/like-all-other-lonely-or-hungry-things-ego-loves-the-light-it-sees/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [It is not always about ego.. Sometimes it is about the self-respect..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-always-about-ego-sometimes-it-is-about-the-self-respect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And the way to it is surrender. Stop fighting. And to stop fighting just an understanding is needed, because it creates misery, it never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/and-the-way-to-it-is-surrender-stop-fighting-and-to-stop-fighting/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [“Self Respect " respects boundaries, yours or other's. "Ego" is so full of self, it sees no boundaries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drishti-bablani-wordions/self-respect-respects-boundaries-yours-or-other-s-ego-is-so-full-of/) [Drishti Bablani, Wordions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drishti-bablani-wordions/) > [“2. The Doctrine of the Hinayanists. This doctrine tells us that (both) the body, that is formed of matter, and the mind, that thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/2-the-doctrine-of-the-hinayanists-this-doctrine-tells-us-that-both/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“I had an enemy - myself. Getting rid of the ego-self, in came the Self. Now, here, there, everywhere is nothing else. Just One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fakeer-ishavardas/i-had-an-enemy-myself-getting-rid-of-the-ego-self-in-came-the-self/) [Fakeer Ishavardas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fakeer-ishavardas/) > [The challenge life presents to each of us is to become truly ourselves--not the self we have imagined or fantasized about, not the self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-kelly/the-challenge-life-presents-to-each-of-us-is-to-become-truly/) [Matthew Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-kelly/) > [ALONE But HAPPY¦. No Argument, No Fight, No Noise And No Misbehaving. Value Your Relationship Much More Than Your Ego But Not More Than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-raj/alone-but-happy-no-argument-no-fight-no-noise-and-no-misbehaving/) [Don Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-raj/) > [“Every man has forgotten who he is. One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego; the self is more distant than any star.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/every-man-has-forgotten-who-he-is-one-may-understand-the-cosmos-but/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [ “repression, which “proceeds from the self-respect of the ego … \[the person\] has set up an ideal in himself by which he measures his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sandler/repression-which-proceeds-from-the-self-respect-of-the-ego-the-person/) Joseph Sandler ## 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 Ancient greek quotes > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [In all of Western civilization, there have been societies that celebrating the homosexuality, the ancient Greeks. But they, in fact, protected the institution of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blackwell/in-all-of-western-civilization-there-have-been-societies-that/) [Ken Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blackwell/) > [The ancient Greek philosophers were all natural-born dialecticians and Aristotle, the most encyclopaedic intellect among them, had even already analysed the most essential forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-engels/the-ancient-greek-philosophers-were-all-natural-born-dialecticians/) [Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-engels/) > [“Greek women were not allowed to be: free and untamed. In fact, Artemis is a bit of a paradox. On the one hand, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/greek-women-were-not-allowed-to-be-free-and-untamed-in-fact-artemis/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [The ancient Greek oral poets all had this anxiety about the deficiencies of their memories and always began poems by praying to the Muse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-antin/the-ancient-greek-oral-poets-all-had-this-anxiety-about-the/) [David Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-antin/) > [“We will have have the dead at our councils. The ancient Greeks voted by stones; these shall vote by tombstones. It is all quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-will-have-have-the-dead-at-our-councils-the-ancient-greeks-voted/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Again, if there are really no fairies, why do people believe in them, all over the world? The ancient Greeks believed, so did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/again-if-there-are-really-no-fairies-why-do-people-believe-in-them/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I believe in logic, the sequence of cause and effect, and in science its only begotten son our law, which was conceived by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-in-logic-the-sequence-of-cause-and-effect-and-in-science/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom. ‘All men make mistakes,’ said the ancient Greek Sophocles. ‘But a good man yields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/tragedy-is-a-tool-for-the-living-to-gain-wisdom-all-men-make-mistakes/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-ancient-greek-definition-of-happiness-was-the-full-use-of-your/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [In some ways, Lotus Eaters is a journey disguised as a party film; there's a circus in the movie, and there are parties, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-mcguinness/in-some-ways-lotus-eaters-is-a-journey-disguised-as-a-party-film/) Alexandra McGuinness > [“Modern architects and engineers are still trying to understand how the ancient Greeks were able to build the Parthenon in ten years when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dunn/modern-architects-and-engineers-are-still-trying-to-understand-how/) Christopher Dunn > [Nobody can say a word against Greek: it stamps a man at once as an educated gentlemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/nobody-can-say-a-word-against-greek-it-stamps-a-man-at-once-as-an/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“After he cut off their genitals, Chronos threw them into the sea, where they floated in a "white foam." Out of this foam‒or "Aphros”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/after-he-cut-off-their-genitals-chronos-threw-them-into-the-sea-where/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [“One of its (civilisations) most powerful weapons has always been 'barbarity': 'we' know that 'we' are civilised by contrasting ourselves with those we deem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/one-of-its-civilisations-most-powerful-weapons-has-always-been/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) [Browse all 210 Ancient greek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-greek/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why does the ego play roles? Because of one unexamined assumption, one fundamental error, one unconscious thought. That thought is: I am not enough. Other unconscious thoughts follow: I need to play a role in order to get what I need to be fully myself; I need to get more so that I can be more. But you cannot be more than you are because underneath your physical and psychological form, you are one with Life itself, one with Being. In form, you are and will always be inferior to some, superior to others. In essence, you are neither inferior nor superior to anyone. True self-esteem and true humility arise out of that realization. In the eyes of the ego, self-esteem and humility are contradictory. In truth, they are one and the same. THE PATHOLOGICAL EGO In a wider sense of the word, the ego itself is pathological, no matter what form it takes. When we look at the ancient Greek root of the word pathological, we discover just how appropriate that term is when applied to the ego. Although the word is normally used to describe a condition of disease, it is derived from pathos, which means suffering. This is, of course, exactly what the Buddha already discovered 2,600 years ago as a characteristic of the human condition. A person in the grip of ego, however, does not recognize suffering as suffering, but will look upon it as the only appropriate response in any given”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eckhart Tolle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-one-unexamined-assumption-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancient greek" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-one-unexamined-assumption-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eckhart-tolle-81_ancient-greek_why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-o_1585391.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eckhart-tolle-81_ancient-greek_why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-o_1585391.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/eckhart-tolle-81_ancient-greek_why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-o_1585391.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why does the ego play roles? Because of one unexamined assumption, one fundamental error, one unconscious…” — Eckhart Tolle", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eckhart Tolle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Why does the ego play roles?...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-one-unexamined-assumption-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/why-does-the-ego-play-roles-because-of-one-unexamined-assumption-one/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```