--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ultimate dragon is within you, it is…" description: "\"The ultimate dragon is within you, it is your ego clamping you down.\" — Joseph Campbell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-campbell-300_dragon_the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is_629738.png" --- # The ultimate dragon is within you, it is your ego clamping… ![“The ultimate dragon is within you, it is your ego clamping you down.” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-campbell-300_dragon_the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is_629738.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-campbell-300_dragon_the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is_629738.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-campbell-300_dragon_the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is_629738.png) > “The ultimate dragon is within you, it is your ego clamping you down.” [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that our greatest power is hidden inside us, but our ego blocks it. **In simple terms:** Your true strength is inside, but ego blocks it. Key Takeaway Recognize and quiet ego to unleash potential. Themes self‑discovery inner power ego growth Mood reflective motivational Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - creative work - leadership - spiritual practice Key Concepts psychology mythology self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - What ego‑driven belief limits you? - How can you gently confront it? A Different Perspective Ego can also protect self‑esteem, making change hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dragon/) [Dragons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dragons/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) ## Related quotes > [You've got to say yes to this miracle of life as it is, not on condition that it follow your rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/you-ve-got-to-say-yes-to-this-miracle-of-life-as-it-is-not-on/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Your life is the fruit of your own doing. You have no one to blame but yourself... The problem is not to blame or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-life-is-the-fruit-of-your-own-doing-you-have-no-one-to-blame-but-2/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The best advise is to take it all as if it had been your intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-advise-is-to-take-it-all-as-if-it-had-been-your-intention/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [There is no way you can use the word “reality” without quotation marks around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/there-is-no-way-you-can-use-the-word-reality-without-quotation-marks/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [A ritual is the enactment of a myth. And, by participating in the ritual, you are participating in the myth. And since myth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/a-ritual-is-the-enactment-of-a-myth-and-by-participating-in-the-2/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The real important function of the church is to present the symbol, to perform the rite, to let you behold this divine message in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-real-important-function-of-the-church-is-to-present-the-symbol-to/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [It is within you that the divine lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/it-is-within-you-that-the-divine-lives/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Seek to know the power that is within you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/seek-to-know-the-power-that-is-within-you/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [You are more than you think you are. There are dimensions of your being and a potential for realization and consciousness that are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/you-are-more-than-you-think-you-are-there-are-dimensions-of-your/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Dragons, you know, we have a good deal of biology and zoology about the dragon; we know their habits. The dragon tends to guard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/dragons-you-know-we-have-a-good-deal-of-biology-and-zoology-about-the/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Beware, gentle knight - the greatest monster of them all is reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/beware-gentle-knight-the-greatest-monster-of-them-all-is-reason/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Independnce comes from you knowing who you are and you being happy with yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/independnce-comes-from-you-knowing-who-you-are-and-you-being-happy/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/cherish-your-own-emotions-and-never-undervalue-them/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Knowledge is knowing as little as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/knowledge-is-knowing-as-little-as-possible/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) ## More by Joseph Campbell > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-ego-is-your-embodiment-and-your-self-is-your-potentiality-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More Dragon quotes > [ “Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus \[ never tickle a sleeping dragon \]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/draco-dormiens-nunquam-titillandus-never-tickle-a-sleeping-dragon/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [Arouse a bee and it will come at you with the force of a dragon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takeda-shingen/arouse-a-bee-and-it-will-come-at-you-with-the-force-of-a-dragon/) [Takeda Shingen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takeda-shingen/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“If you banish the dragons, you banish the heroes...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/if-you-banish-the-dragons-you-banish-the-heroes/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [I especially like the songs Hurry Up and The Curse Of Castle Dragon, and I often include them in my live show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gilbert/i-especially-like-the-songs-hurry-up-and-the-curse-of-castle-dragon/) [Paul Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gilbert/) > [“You must see her pucker when she’s a dragon.” “This pucker can light your ass on fire, missy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-woods/you-must-see-her-pucker-when-she-s-a-dragon-this-pucker-can-light/) [Adrienne Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-woods/) > [“I will always be within reach if you need me, little one...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-von/i-will-always-be-within-reach-if-you-need-me-little-one/) [A.R. Von](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-von/) > [“Unable to help herself, she traced the tat, startled by the black and red ink mixed together. But it was the dragon design itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/unable-to-help-herself-she-traced-the-tat-startled-by-the-black-and/) [Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/) > [The Soyuz is probably only slightly smaller than the Dragon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-walker/the-soyuz-is-probably-only-slightly-smaller-than-the-dragon/) [Shannon Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-walker/) > [Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fairy-tales-are-more-than-true-not-because-they-tell-us-that-dragons/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In the alchemy of man's soul almost all noble attributes--courage, honor, love, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, etc.--can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-the-alchemy-of-man-s-soul-almost-all-noble-attributes-courage/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [To have dragons one must have change; that is the first principle of dragon lore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/to-have-dragons-one-must-have-change-that-is-the-first-principle-of/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [I know how the birds fly, how the fishes swim, how animals run. But there is the Dragon. I cannot tell how it mounts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/i-know-how-the-birds-fly-how-the-fishes-swim-how-animals-run-but/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [It was always that detail that drove me. Ever since I was a little kid, I used to get into the nitty gritty... when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-base/it-was-always-that-detail-that-drove-me-ever-since-i-was-a-little-kid/) [Graeme Base](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-base/) > [Holly is alive,' thought Foaly 'My princess lives,'exulted Orion. 'And we're chasing a dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/holly-is-alive-thought-foaly-my-princess-lives-exulted-orion-and-we/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) [Browse all 704 Dragon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dragon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The ultimate dragon is within you, it is your ego clamping you down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Campbell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is-your-ego-clamping-you-down/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dragon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is-your-ego-clamping-you-down/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-campbell-300_dragon_the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is_629738.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-campbell-300_dragon_the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is_629738.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-campbell-300_dragon_the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is_629738.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The ultimate dragon is within you, it is your ego clamping you down.” — Joseph Campbell", "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": "Joseph Campbell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The ultimate dragon is within you,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is-your-ego-clamping-you-down/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-ultimate-dragon-is-within-you-it-is-your-ego-clamping-you-down/#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 } } ] } ```