Sample
  • The Obstacle Is the Way

  • The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
  • By: Ryan Holiday
  • Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
  • Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (777 ratings)

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The Obstacle Is the Way

By: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
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Publisher's summary

#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

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What listeners say about The Obstacle Is the Way

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Good pep talk material

Nice collection of motivational and stoic quips. Good pep talk material with a collection of quotes and anecdotes that may be just the thing for the right person in the right moment. But may lack sufficient depth to stir or move others.

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Amazing!

Great book and my 11 year old son listened to two-thirds while we were driving to his sporting events over a two week period. Love the message of embracing obstacles of what ultimately propels us forward as a person and in some examples as a society. Highly recommend!

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Great read

Great read with some great ideas and knowledge , definitely a great pleasure and I strongly recommend it

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Woa

Definitely a must read I absolutely loved this and it’s already benefiting my life! Love it!

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The best introduction just knowicism

You probably heard about Ryan Holiday from YouTube or from friends or Joe Rogan. This is hands down the best book on stoicism. You'll learn about Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and so many others. Stoicism is a philosophy that allows you to inform your relationship with the world and yourself. it's only matched by some teachings in Buddhism. If you're looking to gain a deeper sense of discipline, please read this book

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Inspiring!!!

As a small business owner in a crazy environment, this book really illustrates great tools to stay vigilant.

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A surprisingly great book

I see this because I never heard of author and never paid attention to stoicism until I heard about him on a podcast

Book is great and I purchased a few of his others

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becomes the way

second go around with this book and I’m still grasping new ideas. the obstacle is the way.

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Fantastic audiobook

I listen to this book while running daily! It really helped my running flow smoothly !

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The Best

This was simply the best book on human performance and resilience I have ever read.

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