---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All ego really is, is our opinions, which…"
description: "\"All ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be solid, real, and the absolute truth about how things are.\" — Pema Chodron"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/pema-ch-dr-n-327_absolute-truth_all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which_966324.png"
---

#  All ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be…

![“All ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be solid, real, and the absolute truth about how things are.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/pema-ch-dr-n-327_absolute-truth_all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which_966324.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/pema-ch-dr-n-327_absolute-truth_all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which_966324.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/pema-ch-dr-n-327_absolute-truth_all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which_966324.png)

> “All ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be solid, real, and the absolute truth about how things are.”

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Our egos cling to opinions as immutable truths, obscuring reality.

**In simple terms:** Ego treats opinions as absolute truth.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions, seek clarity.

Themes

ego perception truth

Mood

thoughtful calm

Type

philosophical mindful

When to use this quote

- decision making
- conflict resolution
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

mindfulness philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What beliefs do you hold without evidence?
- How does letting go of certainty affect peace?

A Different Perspective

Ego can protect self‑image, resisting change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absolute truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute-truth/) [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Ego Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego-really-1824437/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Absolute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-absolute-1824438/) [Really Opinions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-opinions-1824439/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [“It is well to remember that authorities in the field of science are really opinions, and that such authorities have a wax nose and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/it-is-well-to-remember-that-authorities-in-the-field-of-science-are/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I think if you feel weird and self-conscious about that kind of stuff - which happened to me at some points - that means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-vernon/i-think-if-you-feel-weird-and-self-conscious-about-that-kind-of-stuff/)

[Justin Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-vernon/)

> [It's not about ego. Really. If it was ego, I'd be telling you about my awesome... oh, never mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-perens/it-s-not-about-ego-really-if-it-was-ego-i-d-be-telling-you-about-my/)

[Bruce Perens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-perens/)

> [My ego is really good. I don't need to watch myself on TV, like some others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-jackson/my-ego-is-really-good-i-don-t-need-to-watch-myself-on-tv-like-some/)

[Randy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-jackson/)

> [When you abide in the I you're abiding in the ego. The I is really the ego, the small I. It turns into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/when-you-abide-in-the-i-you-re-abiding-in-the-ego-the-i-is-really-the/)

[Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/)

> [As big as my ego may be, I'm really not of the belief that I can't be replaced. I didn't invent the wheel. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stanley/as-big-as-my-ego-may-be-i-m-really-not-of-the-belief-that-i-can-t-be/)

[Paul Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stanley/)

> [For people who have done comedy after a certain point in time, I think there's a base level of, 'O.K., I think I'm decently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/for-people-who-have-done-comedy-after-a-certain-point-in-time-i-think/)

[Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/)

> [I think it helps to have a good old-fashioned trajectory, plodding along. Obviously one has an ego and it's really easy to have that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie-duff/i-think-it-helps-to-have-a-good-old-fashioned-trajectory-plodding/)

[Anne-Marie Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie-duff/)

> [The Ego, however, is not who you really are. The ego is your self-image; it is your social mask; it is the role you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-ego-however-is-not-who-you-really-are-the-ego-is-your-self-image/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [“Of course , if I am nothing but an ego, and woman is nothing but another ego, then there is really no vital difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-lawrence/of-course-if-i-am-nothing-but-an-ego-and-woman-is-nothing-but-another/)

[David Herbert Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-lawrence/)

> [I struggled in the beginning. I said I was going to write the truth, so help me God. And I thought I was. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-struggled-in-the-beginning-i-said-i-was-going-to-write-the-truth-so/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [Nobody in this world possesses absolute truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/nobody-in-this-world-possesses-absolute-truth/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [When I say that a thing is true, I mean that I cannot help believing it... But...I do not venture to assume that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/when-i-say-that-a-thing-is-true-i-mean-that-i-cannot-help-believing/)

[Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/)

> [Let every one of us cultivate, in every word that issues from our mouth, absolute truth. I say cultivate, because to very few people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/let-every-one-of-us-cultivate-in-every-word-that-issues-from-our/)

[Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/)

> [The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. If the resurrection did not take place, then Christianity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-m-morris/the-bodily-resurrection-of-jesus-christ-from-the-dead-is-the-crowning/)

[Henry M. Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-m-morris/)

## More by Pema Chodron

> [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

[Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

## More Absolute truth quotes

> [“I know quite well why I became a historian… It was because dissension was frowned upon when I was a child: 'Don't argue, Claudia,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-know-quite-well-why-i-became-a-historian-it-was-because-dissension/)

[Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/)

> [“When you’ve tired of me,” she said softly, precisely, “Apollo will still be my brother. Will still be there for me.” “I’ll never tire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/when-you-ve-tired-of-me-she-said-softly-precisely-apollo-will-still/)

[Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/)

> [The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. If the resurrection did not take place, then Christianity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-m-morris/the-bodily-resurrection-of-jesus-christ-from-the-dead-is-the-crowning/)

[Henry M. Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-m-morris/)

> [“I think adults forget just how much faith teenagers can have in them, just how willing to believe that adults, by virtue of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-think-adults-forget-just-how-much-faith-teenagers-can-have-in-them/)

[Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/)

> [The Absolute Truth of Knowledge is precisely non-Knowledge. If this Mirror called Knowledge remains in the phase where nothing is reflected in it, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/the-absolute-truth-of-knowledge-is-precisely-non-knowledge-if-this/)

[Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/)

> [Let every one of us cultivate, in every word that issues from our mouth, absolute truth. I say cultivate, because to very few people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/let-every-one-of-us-cultivate-in-every-word-that-issues-from-our/)

[Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/)

> [Who can know what love means at the feet of the absolute truth?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/who-can-know-what-love-means-at-the-feet-of-the-absolute-truth/)

[Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/)

> [When I say that a thing is true, I mean that I cannot help believing it... But...I do not venture to assume that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/when-i-say-that-a-thing-is-true-i-mean-that-i-cannot-help-believing/)

[Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/)

> [ATTRIBUTES OF GOD Because God is spirit...I will seek intimate fellowship with Him. Because God is all-powerful...He can help me with anything. Because God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-william-r-bright/attributes-of-god-because-god-is-spirit-i-will-seek-intimate/)

[Dr William R Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-william-r-bright/)

> [“Somehow I feel that a person who thinks he has discovered the absolute truth will not be someone I know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-joseph/somehow-i-feel-that-a-person-who-thinks-he-has-discovered-the/)

[Manu Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-joseph/)

> [“Leave science out of it and live in accordance with a non-scientific absolute truth. This has been the strategy of liberal humanism, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/leave-science-out-of-it-and-live-in-accordance-with-a-non-scientific/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [If I'd written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people - including me - would be rotting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/if-i-d-written-all-the-truth-i-knew-for-the-past-ten-years-about-600/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [Only when we realize that there is no eternal, unchanging truth or absolute truth can we arouse in ourselves a sense of intellectual responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-shih/only-when-we-realize-that-there-is-no-eternal-unchanging-truth-or/)

[Hu Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-shih/)

> [Nobody in this world possesses absolute truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/nobody-in-this-world-possesses-absolute-truth/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It isn’t the absolute truth about life and death, but the thing that helps us to live and confront the challenges of day-to-day life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-isn-t-the-absolute-truth-about-life-and-death-but-the-thing-that/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

[Browse all 317 Absolute truth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute-truth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "All ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be solid, real, and the absolute truth about how things are.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pema Chodron"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which-we-take-to-be-solid-real-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absolute truth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which-we-take-to-be-solid-real-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/pema-ch-dr-n-327_absolute-truth_all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which_966324.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/pema-ch-dr-n-327_absolute-truth_all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which_966324.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/pema-ch-dr-n-327_absolute-truth_all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which_966324.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be solid, real, and the absolute truth about how things…” — Pema Chodron",
                "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": "Pema Chodron",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "All ego really is, is our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which-we-take-to-be-solid-real-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/all-ego-really-is-is-our-opinions-which-we-take-to-be-solid-real-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
