The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

· Sold by Penguin
4.6
293 reviews
Ebook
224
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller

The Obstacle is the Way
has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whatever they do.

Its many fans include a former governor and movie star (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a hip hop icon (LL Cool J), an Irish tennis pro (James McGee), an NBC sportscaster (Michele Tafoya), and the coaches and players of winning teams like the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Cubs, and University of Texas men’s basketball team.

The book draws its inspiration from stoicism, the ancient Greek philosophy of enduring pain or adversity with perseverance and resilience. Stoics focus on the things they can control, let go of everything else, and turn every new obstacle into an opportunity to get better, stronger, tougher. As Marcus Aurelius put it nearly 2000 years ago: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” 

Ryan Holiday shows us how some of the most successful people in history—from John D. Rockefeller to Amelia Earhart to Ulysses S. Grant to Steve Jobs—have applied stoicism to overcome difficult or even impossible situations. Their embrace of these principles ultimately mattered more than their natural intelligence, talents, or luck.

If you’re feeling frustrated, demoralized, or stuck in a rut, this book can help you turn your problems into your biggest advantages. And along the way it will inspire you with dozens of true stories of the greats from every age and era.

Ratings and reviews

4.6
293 reviews
W
January 24, 2020
its a good book, but personally having read books like war of art and essentialism, it didnt bring much new ideas forward. It works as a book, but it didnt feel as refined and original as 2 other books I mentioned. But overall still solid bookand again its my opinion and you might have different experience.
2 people found this review helpful
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Tom Camaj
December 7, 2017
Sound mind, in a sound body, a paradigm of the stoic mindset. The book teaches you to look past obstacles and see them as opportunities. Though it does get very repetitive to drill its message into your head
38 people found this review helpful
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Brett Bohlin
June 14, 2019
Holliday provides a solid overview and introduction to Stoic Philosophy and how it is applicable now more than ever. While it is certainly no "Meditations", I believe it is a good place for those facing life's "obstacles" to start.
11 people found this review helpful
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About the author

Ryan Holiday is one of the world’s bestselling living philosophers. His books, including The Obstacle Is the WayEgo Is the EnemyThe Daily Stoic, and the #1 New York Times bestseller Stillness Is the Key, appear in more than forty languages and have sold over 10 million copies. He lives outside Austin with his wife and two boys ... and a small herd of cows and donkeys and goats. His bookstore, The Painted Porch, sits on historic Main Street in Bastrop, Texas.

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