The Obstacle is the Way
The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage
1st Edition
Published on 1. May 2014
978-1-78283-005-4 (ISBN)
Description
OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD
#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
'Follow these precepts and you will revolutionize your life.' Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art
'A book for the bedside of every future - and current - leader in the world.' - Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power
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.
The book's many fans include a former governor and movie star (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a hip hop icon (LL Cool J), an Irish tennis pro (James McGee), the World Number 1 golfer (Rory McIlroy) and the coaches and players of winning teams like English Rugby National Team, the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Cubs.
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.
#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
'Follow these precepts and you will revolutionize your life.' Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art
'A book for the bedside of every future - and current - leader in the world.' - Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power
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.
The book's many fans include a former governor and movie star (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a hip hop icon (LL Cool J), an Irish tennis pro (James McGee), the World Number 1 golfer (Rory McIlroy) and the coaches and players of winning teams like English Rugby National Team, the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Cubs.
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.
Reviews / Votes
First came Marcus Aurelius, then Frederick the Great . . . and now there's you. This surprising book shows you how to craft a life of wonder by embracing obstacles and challenges. -- Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup A book for the bedside of every future - and current - leader in the world. -- Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power and Mastery An absolute must-read. A kind of user's manual for life, you will turn to it time and time again and learn to tear through any obstacle and resolve any conflict. -- Jimmy Soni, managing editor of Huffington Post, author of Rome's Last Citizen A very, very good book with lots of examples about people who had to overcome great obstacles to have success. -- Nick Saban, head football coach at the University of Alabama 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 My life has been beset with obstacles. It takes practice (and pain) to surmount them and achieve success. Ryan's book is a how-to guide for just that. -- James Altucher, investor and author of Choose Yourself The book on stoicism that's taking the NFL by storm. * Sports Illustrated * Ryan Holiday has written a brilliant and engaging book, well beyond his years. . . . It is invaluable. -- Honorable Frederic Block, Judge, U.S. District Court Even though I was familiar with the basis for this book - the ancient philosophy of stoicism: overcoming obstacles through the practice of wisdom, courage, self-control, and mindfulness - it felt like a revelation when I read it. -- Allison K. Hill * Los Angeles Daily News * In this tight, engaging book, Ryan Holiday shines a bright, powerful light on the path to living and leading well. Read it, learn from it, and get cracking! -- Nancy F. Koehn, historian and leadership expert, Harvard Business School Tremendous! Go buy every book that Ryan Holiday has written. -- John Tesh, host of national radio show Intelligence for Your Life Very powerful and interesting ... it's one I'm going to go over often. There's some great stuff in here. -- Joe RoganMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
ISBN-13
978-1-78283-005-4 (9781782830054)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
06/2015
Profile Books Ltd
€15.50
Available immediately
Book
05/2014
Profile Books Ltd
€33.63
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Ryan Holiday is a media strategist for notorious clients like Tucker Max and Dov Charney, and worked on the publicity campaign for Tim Ferriss's The 4-Hour Work Week. After dropping out of college at nineteen, he went on to advise bestselling authors and multi-platinum musicians. He is the Director of Marketing at American Apparel and his strategies are used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube and Google. His first book, Trust Me I'm Lying was a Wall Street Journal bestseller. He currently lives in New Orleans.
