Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your

"Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it." Thus counseled Colin Powell, the soldier and statesman, whose words bear the weight of battlefield discipline and political wisdom alike. In his teaching lies a timeless truth: that a man must not bind his identity to titles, offices, or victories, for these are fleeting. To confuse who you are with what you hold is to prepare your soul for ruin.

The ancients knew this lesson. The Stoics taught that external honors are but shadows, granted today and stripped tomorrow. True strength lies in virtue, not in throne or crown. When Caesar tied his ego to his position as master of Rome, his fall was not merely political but personal, ending in blood upon the Senate floor. Yet Marcus Aurelius, though emperor, remembered always that he was a man among men, keeping his ego apart from his position, and thus he endured with serenity even in loss.

History gives us the warning of Richard Nixon. His ego clung so tightly to the position of the presidency that when it crumbled beneath the weight of scandal, his soul seemed to fall with it. The shame consumed him, for he had built his identity not upon virtue, but upon office. His collapse teaches that Powell’s counsel is no abstraction but a truth carved in the bitter stone of history.

So too do we see the opposite in George Washington. Twice offered greater power, twice tempted with permanent rule, he chose instead to step down, releasing his position with humility. Because his ego was not chained to authority, he became not less in the eyes of men, but greater. His willingness to separate self from office set an immortal example for republics yet unborn.

Therefore, let this wisdom endure: hold your ego lightly, and never let it fuse with your position. Offices will end, honors will fade, victories will pass, but the self endures. Build your worth on virtue, not on title; on character, not on crown. For the man who ties his soul to power will perish with it, but the man who keeps them apart will remain unshaken, no matter how high or low fortune carries him.