---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What matters is that you learn how to…"
description: "\"“What matters is that you learn how to manage yourself and others, before your industry eats you alive. Micromanagers are egotists who can’t manage oth..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/ryan-holiday-514_leader_what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-ma_2939959.jpg"
---

#  What matters is that you learn how to manage yourself and…

![“What matters is that you learn how to manage yourself and others, before your industry eats you alive. Micromanagers are egotists who can’t manage others and they quickly get overloaded. So do the charismatic visionaries who lose interest when it’s time to execute. Worse yet are those who surround…” quote by Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/ryan-holiday-514_leader_what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-ma_2939959.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/ryan-holiday-514_leader_what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-ma_2939959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/ryan-holiday-514_leader_what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-ma_2939959.jpg)

> ““What matters is that you learn how to manage yourself and others, before your industry eats you alive. Micromanagers are egotists who can’t manage others and they quickly get overloaded. So do the charismatic visionaries who lose interest when it’s time to execute. Worse yet are those who surround themselves with yes-men or sycophants who clean up their messes and create a bubble in which they can’t even see how disconnected from reality they are.””

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

## About This Quote

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

Effective leadership requires self‑management and realistic team dynamics before external pressures dominate.

**In simple terms:** Lead yourself before leading others.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate self‑discipline and honest feedback.

Themes

leadership self‑management team dynamics industry pressure ego vision

Mood

reflective critical

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- startup founders
- project managers
- executives
- team meetings
- performance reviews

Key Concepts

Stoicism organizational behavior psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance personal discipline with external realities?
- What signs indicate your team is operating in a bubble?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on self‑control can ignore systemic issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alive Micromanagers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive-micromanagers-4378156/) [Egotists Manage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egotists-manage-4378157/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Learn Manage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-manage-2364411/) [Manage Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manage-industry-4378158/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Micromanagers Egotists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/micromanagers-egotists-4378155/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Management and entrepreneurship are only two different dimensions of the same task. An entrepreneur who does not learn how to manage will not last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/management-and-entrepreneurship-are-only-two-different-dimensions-of/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [You have learn to hire a management team, you have to learn how to manage You have to want success so badly that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-conway/you-have-learn-to-hire-a-management-team-you-have-to-learn-how-to/)

[Ron Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-conway/)

> [“There is always risk, so learn to manage risk instead of avoiding it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-kiyosaki/there-is-always-risk-so-learn-to-manage-risk-instead-of-avoiding-it/)

[Robert T. Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-t-kiyosaki/)

> [We have to learn how to manage expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/we-have-to-learn-how-to-manage-expectations/)

[Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/)

> [If I can learn how to manage myself, why would I give you 20 percent and people are looking for me? It just doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vickie-winans/if-i-can-learn-how-to-manage-myself-why-would-i-give-you-20-percent/)

[Vickie Winans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vickie-winans/)

> [Success depends almost entirely on how effectively you learn to manage the game's two ultimate adversaries: the course and yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/success-depends-almost-entirely-on-how-effectively-you-learn-to/)

[Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/)

> [If you wish to succeed in managing and controlling others - learn to manage and control yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-h-boetcker/if-you-wish-to-succeed-in-managing-and-controlling-others-learn-to/)

[William J. H. Boetcker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-h-boetcker/)

> [You will either learn to manage money, or the lack of it will manage you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-will-either-learn-to-manage-money-or-the-lack-of-it-will-manage/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

> [I would like to learn how to manage my own money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-correa/i-would-like-to-learn-how-to-manage-my-own-money/)

[Carlos Correa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-correa/)

> [“Without time management, you lose control of your life and do what other people tell you to do. You lose control and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-miller/without-time-management-you-lose-control-of-your-life-and-do-what/)

[Thomas Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-miller/)

> [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/)

[Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/)

> [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/)

[Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/)

> [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/)

[Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/)

> [“Only careful political manoeuvring will be able to manage the situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davan-yahya-khalil/only-careful-political-manoeuvring-will-be-able-to-manage-the/)

[Davan Yahya Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davan-yahya-khalil/)

## More by Ryan Holiday

> [“If we can focus on making clear what parts of our day are within our control and what parts are not, we will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/if-we-can-focus-on-making-clear-what-parts-of-our-day-are-within-our/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [“The areas of great interest to the Stoics all make an appearance here: virtue, mortality, emotions, self-awareness, fortitude, right action, problem solving, acceptance, mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-areas-of-great-interest-to-the-stoics-all-make-an-appearance-here/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [“With a business, we take most failures less personally and understand they’re part of the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/with-a-business-we-take-most-failures-less-personally-and-understand/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [“Many creatives want to be just the creator, or only “the idea guy.” They like that because it’s sexy and because that’s what comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/many-creatives-want-to-be-just-the-creator-or-only-the-idea-guy-they/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [Pretty much everyone's career starts the same way: with grunt work. Not just the cliched fetching of coffee, but other lowly tasks: taking notes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/pretty-much-everyone-s-career-starts-the-same-way-with-grunt-work-not/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [The greats - they protect their sleep because it's where the best work comes from. They say no to things. They turn in when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-greats-they-protect-their-sleep-because-it-s-where-the-best-work/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [“Where little danger is apprehended, the more the enemy will be unprepared and consequently there is the fairest prospect of success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/where-little-danger-is-apprehended-the-more-the-enemy-will-be/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [We often learn the hard way that our world is ruled by external factors. We don't always get what is rightfully ours, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/we-often-learn-the-hard-way-that-our-world-is-ruled-by-external/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [“From Rusticus … I learned to read carefully and not be satisfied with a rough understanding of the whole, and not to agree too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/from-rusticus-i-learned-to-read-carefully-and-not-be-satisfied-with-a/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [I wholeheartedly agree that many media 'standards' can feel disingenuous or, in fact, be a cover for less-than-honest behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/i-wholeheartedly-agree-that-many-media-standards-can-feel/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [“Remember: even what we get for free has a cost, if only in what we pay to store it—in our garages and in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/remember-even-what-we-get-for-free-has-a-cost-if-only-in-what-we-pay/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [It's your job to find a release and an outlet for the stress and the feelings. Never forget: the crazy stays at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/it-s-your-job-to-find-a-release-and-an-outlet-for-the-stress-and-the/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [Where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/where-the-head-goes-the-body-follows-perception-precedes-action-right/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [The risks of speaking extemporaneously are apparent the first time you wing it and promptly put your foot in your mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-risks-of-speaking-extemporaneously-are-apparent-the-first-time/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [“The tools of the Internet and social media have made it possible to track, test, iterate, and improve marketing to the point where these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-tools-of-the-internet-and-social-media-have-made-it-possible-to/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

[Explore all 504 Ryan Holiday quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

## More Leader quotes

> [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/)

[Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

[Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/)

> [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/)

[Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/)

> [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/)

[Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/)

> [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/)

[Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/)

> [We're going to create factory jobs for recent immigrants, and Donald Trump is going to take care of them. That's why his numbers, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/we-re-going-to-create-factory-jobs-for-recent-immigrants-and-donald/)

[Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/)

> [I always wanted someone looking up to me and trying to understand where I'm coming from as a leader. I'm ready for that. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-brooks/i-always-wanted-someone-looking-up-to-me-and-trying-to-understand/)

[Dillon Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-brooks/)

> [I really don't think you need a letter on your jersey to be a leader on a hockey club.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carey-price/i-really-don-t-think-you-need-a-letter-on-your-jersey-to-be-a-leader/)

[Carey Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carey-price/)

> [I think leading by example is important, as I know the next generation is watching us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-skolnik/i-think-leading-by-example-is-important-as-i-know-the-next-generation/)

[Michael Skolnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-skolnik/)

> [Leadership is made for service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hyles/leadership-is-made-for-service/)

[Jack Hyles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hyles/)

> [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/)

[John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/)

> [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Notoriously outspoken, his sentences always punctuated with profanities, General George S. Patton was the epitome of what a leader should be like - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/notoriously-outspoken-his-sentences-always-punctuated-with/)

[Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/)

> [I was born in Cuba. At the age of 14 years of age I was involved in a revolution. We were suffering from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-was-born-in-cuba-at-the-age-of-14-years-of-age-i-was-involved-in-a/)

[Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/)

> [Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/effective-leaders-are-made-not-born-they-learn-from-trial-and-error/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

[Browse all 10,680 Leader quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“What matters is that you learn how to manage yourself and others, before your industry eats you alive. Micromanagers are egotists who can’t manage others and they quickly get overloaded. So do the charismatic visionaries who lose interest when it’s time to execute. Worse yet are those who surround themselves with yes-men or sycophants who clean up their messes and create a bubble in which they can’t even see how disconnected from reality they are.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ryan Holiday"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-manage-yourself-and-others/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Leader"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-manage-yourself-and-others/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/ryan-holiday-514_leader_what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-ma_2939959.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/ryan-holiday-514_leader_what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-ma_2939959.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/ryan-holiday-514_leader_what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-ma_2939959.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What matters is that you learn how to manage yourself and others, before your industry eats you alive…” — Ryan Holiday",
                "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": "Ryan Holiday",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“What matters is that you learn...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-manage-yourself-and-others/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/what-matters-is-that-you-learn-how-to-manage-yourself-and-others/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
