--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We mistakenly assume that bodily survival…" description: "\"We mistakenly assume that bodily survival has a higher precedence than ego survival. This is simply not generally true. Ego will happily destroy the bo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/karl-marlantes-13122_assuming_we-mistakenly-assume-that-bodily-surviva_2541435.jpg" --- # We mistakenly assume that bodily survival has a higher… ![“We mistakenly assume that bodily survival has a higher precedence than ego survival. This is simply not generally true. Ego will happily destroy the body for its own sake. Look at overweight executives headed for heart attacks on the way to getting their pictures in Fortune or anorexic models…” quote by Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/karl-marlantes-13122_assuming_we-mistakenly-assume-that-bodily-surviva_2541435.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/karl-marlantes-13122_assuming_we-mistakenly-assume-that-bodily-surviva_2541435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/karl-marlantes-13122_assuming_we-mistakenly-assume-that-bodily-surviva_2541435.jpg) > “We mistakenly assume that bodily survival has a higher precedence than ego survival. This is simply not generally true. Ego will happily destroy the body for its own sake. Look at overweight executives headed for heart attacks on the way to getting their pictures in Fortune or anorexic models suffering slow starvation on their way to getting their pictures in Vogue. Protecting ego is the general case.” [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) ## 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 argues that protecting one's ego often outweighs preserving physical health, leading people to self‑destructive choices for status or image. **In simple terms:** Ego can dominate over health, causing harmful behavior for image. Key Takeaway Recognize ego motives and prioritize health. Themes ego health self‑destruction status psychology Mood critical reflective Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - executive lifestyle - fashion industry - personal health decisions Key Concepts identity masochism social pressure Questions to Reflect On - How does ego influence your health choices? - Can you separate self‑worth from external validation? A Different Perspective Ego may be rationalized as survival, making change difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) [Bodily Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bodily-survival-1437627/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Ego General](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego-general-1437629/) [Ego Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego-survival-1437626/) [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart attack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-attack/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/models/) [Overweight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overweight/) [Protecting Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protecting-ego-1437628/) [Sake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sake/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Starvation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starvation/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [True Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-ego-1437630/) [Vogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vogue/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“when you allow the behavior of others to control your sense of engagement, you are abdicating control of your own work. 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Under normal circumstances, the name a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/publicity-in-itself-of-whatever-nature-connotes-a-disturbance-of-the/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [When you're 12 and, you know, slightly overweight and - for lack of a better word - white, and you're playing blues, you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bonamassa/when-you-re-12-and-you-know-slightly-overweight-and-for-lack-of-a/) [Joe Bonamassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bonamassa/) > [It seems like thin people should not be running around dissing overweight people, and overweight people should not be running around dissing thinner people...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-cutrone/it-seems-like-thin-people-should-not-be-running-around-dissing/) [Kelly Cutrone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-cutrone/) > [“Growing old, overweight and fat is not inevitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dilworth/growing-old-overweight-and-fat-is-not-inevitable/) [Mark Dilworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dilworth/) > [When I was in middle school and high school, I was over 100 pounds overweight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-trank/when-i-was-in-middle-school-and-high-school-i-was-over-100-pounds/) [Josh Trank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-trank/) > [I'm ugly, I'm overweight, but I'm happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-flintoff/i-m-ugly-i-m-overweight-but-i-m-happy/) [Andrew Flintoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-flintoff/) > [When you gain weight, for every pound that you gain, it adds four pounds of stress on your knees. So if you gain five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-simmons/when-you-gain-weight-for-every-pound-that-you-gain-it-adds-four/) [Richard Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-simmons/) > [I had a bilateral lisp, and I was overweight. I was the kid who played with the flowers on the ground in the outfield…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tambor/i-had-a-bilateral-lisp-and-i-was-overweight-i-was-the-kid-who-played/) [Jeffrey Tambor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tambor/) > [Don't complain about being overweight if you're not going to do anything about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-complain-about-being-overweight-if-you-re-not-going-to-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Treat yourself like an overweight, out of shape person and that's what you will be. Why not train and treat yourself like an athlete?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalene-johnson/treat-yourself-like-an-overweight-out-of-shape-person-and-that-s-what/) [Chalene Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalene-johnson/) > [Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it's open to anybody who owns hideous clothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/although-golf-was-originally-restricted-to-wealthy-overweight/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I don't think that on a daily basis, people need to be so concerned with others think. When someone comes forward and is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-goreski/i-don-t-think-that-on-a-daily-basis-people-need-to-be-so-concerned/) [Brad Goreski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-goreski/) > [I was a bit overweight as a teenager, which may be why I'm more comfortable playing with clothes than showing my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orla-brady/i-was-a-bit-overweight-as-a-teenager-which-may-be-why-i-m-more/) [Orla Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orla-brady/) ## More by Karl Marlantes > [“Emotion constricted Hawke’s throat. He suddenly understood why the victims of concentration camps had walked quietly to the gas chambers. In the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/emotion-constricted-hawke-s-throat-he-suddenly-understood-why-the/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [Quitting is unthinkable and pain is just weakness leaving the body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/quitting-is-unthinkable-and-pain-is-just-weakness-leaving-the-body/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [I began writing 'Matterhorn' in 1975 and for more than 30 years I kept working on my novel in my spare time, unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/i-began-writing-matterhorn-in-1975-and-for-more-than-30-years-i-kept/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [“We have an idea of what is right or wrong. And we can debate moral issues as ideas. But moral \*standards\* are not ideas;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/we-have-an-idea-of-what-is-right-or-wrong-and-we-can-debate-moral/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [It was all absurd, without reason or meaning. People who didn't know each other were going to kill each other over a hill none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/it-was-all-absurd-without-reason-or-meaning-people-who-didn-t-know/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [Everything is touched by the holy when it is in the presence of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/everything-is-touched-by-the-holy-when-it-is-in-the-presence-of-death/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [In the military I could exercise the power of being automatically respected because of the medals on my chest, not because I had done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/in-the-military-i-could-exercise-the-power-of-being-automatically/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [Once we recognize our shadow's existence we must resist the enticing step of going with its flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/once-we-recognize-our-shadow-s-existence-we-must-resist-the-enticing/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [“Many will argue that there is nothing remotely spiritual in combat. Consider this. Mystical or religious experiences have four common components: constant awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/many-will-argue-that-there-is-nothing-remotely-spiritual-in-combat/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [When I first got back from the war, I said, 'I'm gonna write the Great American Novel about the Vietnam War.' So I sat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/when-i-first-got-back-from-the-war-i-said-i-m-gonna-write-the-great/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [“But just below the grim tranquility he had learned to display, he cursed with boiling intensity the ambitious men who used him and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/but-just-below-the-grim-tranquility-he-had-learned-to-display-he/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [And I think that it's - the military has actually made improvements, so people are considering post-traumatic stress disorder as, at the least, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/and-i-think-that-it-s-the-military-has-actually-made-improvements-so/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [When the peace treaty is signed, the war isn't over for the veterans, or the family. It's just starting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/when-the-peace-treaty-is-signed-the-war-isn-t-over-for-the-veterans/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > ['Matterhorn' is my metaphor of the Vietnam War - we built it, we abandoned it, we assaulted it, we lost, and then we abandoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/matterhorn-is-my-metaphor-of-the-vietnam-war-we-built-it-we-abandoned/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [Really important books to me are the classics. I try very hard to read them well - you know, especially once I got serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/really-important-books-to-me-are-the-classics-i-try-very-hard-to-read/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) [Explore all 50 Karl Marlantes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) ## More Assuming quotes > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) [James T. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-conway/) > [Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/everyone-assumes-writers-spend-their-time-lounging-around-writing-and/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [People just assume that if you're famous, you're in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/people-just-assume-that-if-you-re-famous-you-re-in-hollywood/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We mistakenly assume that bodily survival has a higher precedence than ego survival. This is simply not generally true. Ego will happily destroy the body for its own sake. Look at overweight executives headed for heart attacks on the way to getting their pictures in Fortune or anorexic models suffering slow starvation on their way to getting their pictures in Vogue. 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