The Obstacle Is the Way

The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

By: Ryan Holiday

Narrated by: Ryan Holiday

#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 Audio

Critic 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

Right on time

I’ve been going through some tough times and this book was right on time. The message and stories are easy to follow and relate to real life situations. The principle isn’t easy but practical.

Interesting to learn about stoicism

Interesting but not new or life-changing to me. The advice I got from it could be summarized as "endure and learn to enjoy the journey, even if painful, because you'll come out better and stronger from it".

Definitely worth a listen!

I love these types of books and this was a great snack book that flew by with lots of great tidbits and wonderfully practical ways to view and overcome obstacles!

Inspiring

I loved the message and the examples given from so many outstanding leaders who found their way through the obstacles of life.

A must read

Stoicism is in my opinion the easiest part for japonês this book is a quick way to iniciaram one into the path

Amazingly written, practically, actionable

I really loved the writers approach to a practical and actionable approach at overcoming obstacles. After finishing this audiobook, I immediately bought the paperback to highlight and write notes and started reading it all over again.

The book recommendations were also helpful!

Love it

Thanks for the powerful message about the three pillars! Keep up the good work for all

Fantastic Book

Awesome book with many great insights. I'll be coming back around to listen to this periodically to extract more thoughts.

Turned my upside down tragic world upright and happy

Ryan Holiday’s translation and statements from normal people to world leaders to military men dealing with death and torture on the battlefield or torture camps is the best glimpse into how hell in life can be turned to your favor. Learn how to not just cope but OVERCOME the suffering and pain from the hell that life brings you. Ryan, thank you for your research and time in putting this together. I will carry it with me always and pass copies on to those who suffer.
You have changed my life for the better and I am eternally grateful for When you have done for the world.
EVERYONE should read this book.
Jason Lake

Enlightening

Love the writing of Ryan Holiday, how he backs up his meaning with example’s of people’s lives. So wonderful, this book is a joy to read.