In the egoic state, your sense of self, your identity, is derived from your thinking mind - in other words, what your mind tells you about yourself: the storyline of you, the memories, the expectations, all the thoughts that go through your head continuously and the emotions that reflect those thoughts. All those things make up your sense of self.

To realize that you are not your thoughts is when you begin to awaken spiritually.

Thought can be so seductive and hypnotic that it absorbs your attention totally, so you become your thoughts.

Eckhart Tolle Quotes