Is it wrong then to be proud of one’s possessions or to feel resentful toward people who have more than you? Not at all. That sense of pride, of needing to stand out, the apparent enhancement of one’s self though “more than,” and diminishment through “less than” is neither right nor wrong — it is the ego. The ego isn’t wrong; it’s just unconscious. When you observe the ego in yourself, smile. At times you may even laugh. How could humanity have been taken in by this for so long? Above all, know that the ego isn’t personal. It isn’t who you are. If you consider the ego to be your personal problem, that’s just more ego.
Eckhart Tolle
from A New Earth; Awakening to Your Life’s Potential