The Obstacle Is the Way
The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
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The Obstacle Is the Way
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Narrated by:
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Ryan Holiday
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By:
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Ryan Holiday
About this listen
#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.
©2023 Ryan Holiday (P)2023 Penguin AudioCritic reviews
“The book on stoicism that’s taking the NFL by storm.”–Sports Illustrated
"The best one I've read. Ryan Holiday is brilliant. If I had read The Obstacle Is the Way sooner, a few things might have been different."–Rory McIlroy, 2x PGA Champion
“Follow these precepts and you will revolutionize your life. Read this book!”—Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art and Gates of Fire
Featured Article: The 22 Best Motivational Audiobooks for Jump-Starting Your Life
For most of us, motivation tends to ebb and flow; sometimes, even the act of staying motivated feels like something we need to inspire ourselves to do. When you hit a rut, there’s no shame in calling in reinforcements, and luckily, our catalog has a vast selection of them to help you reach for bigger and better in all areas of your life. We’ve compiled this list of the best motivational audiobooks for all the times when you need a boost to get going.
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 132
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4 out of 5 stars
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Awful narration
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 35
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 26
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I love the stories …..but it’s full of ESG BS
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Returned - Not "Unabridged"
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4 out of 5 stars
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Narrator sucks
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In this must-listen book for anyone striving to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents, educators, students, and businesspeople - both seasoned and new - that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a focused persistence called "grit". Why do some people succeed and others fail? Sharing new insights from her landmark research on grit, MacArthur "genius" Angela Duckworth explains why talent is hardly a guarantor of success.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Two different books
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Total Focus
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Over his four deployments as a Navy SEAL sniper, Brandon Webb learned all about performing while experiencing heart-pounding stress. After returning to civilian life, he started his first business venture - and failed miserably. He realized that his big mistake was neglecting to apply what he already knew about focus under pressure. By drawing on the lessons of his SEAL training and early business struggles, Webb went on to build a second business, a media network called Hurricane.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Biography/ sales pitch.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excelent reading of an excellent classic
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Think of The War of Art as tough love...for yourself. Since 2002, The War of Art has inspired people around the world to defeat "resistance"; to recognize and knock down dream-blocking barriers and to silence the naysayers within us. Resistance kicks everyone's butt, and the desire to defeat it is equally as universal. The War of Art identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.
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1 out of 5 stars
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War Against Common Sense?
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In Mastery, Robert Greene's fifth book, he mines the biographies of great historical figures for clues about gaining control over our own lives and destinies. Picking up where The 48 Laws of Power left off, Greene culls years of research and original interviews to blend historical anecdote and psychological insight, distilling the universal ingredients of the world's masters.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Focus on passion=Less stress and more success
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Highly recommended to all who seek
Excellent
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Highly recommend
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Loved all of it
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Loved this book
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Solid
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—Simple & Direct Approach.
—Powerful Application Potential.
—New Value Gained each time read.
Highly Recommend for those passionate about expanding their toolbox of Perspectives.
Ryan takes an eloquent approach to simplifying some of the greatest philosophical teachings of the ages.
There are certain Books/Teachings that deem themselves worthy of making my “Rotation of Motivation”. These are books I revisit frequently, which carry an unlimited amount of learning potential that cannot be captured in one read.
This is One of Them!
A few Examples Include:
-The Book of 5 Rings (Miyamoto Musashi)
-Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable (Tim S. Grover)
Powerful Perspective
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Incredible
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the comparisons
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The bestowal of the title philosopher at the end.
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Inspires one to be a better person
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