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The cover of The Obstacle Is the Way

The Obstacle Is the Way

Ryan Holiday, 2014

Learn the Stoic method for meeting setbacks: see problems clearly, act on what you control, and accept the rest, drawn from Marcus Aurelius and people who turned hardship into advantage.

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15 parts, about 24 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Builds a method from three linked disciplines, Perception, Action and Will, rather than hazy optimism or a history of Stoicism
  • Argues for directed action: persist and iterate, or go around a problem and let it defeat itself, instead of charging head on
  • Trains the will through expecting setbacks, accepting what cannot be changed and loving what must be done, with stories of people who endured

Who it is for

  • Readers facing a setback at work or in business
  • People who freeze or blame others when plans go wrong
  • Readers curious how Stoic ideas work in practice

What the summary covers

  1. What Stands in the Way Becomes the Way2 min
  2. Three Disciplines1 min
  3. Perception: Rockefeller's Cool Head1 min
  4. We Decide What Things Mean1 min
  5. Steady Nerves, Controlled Emotions1 min
  6. See It as It Is1 min
  7. What Is Up to Us, and the Opportunity Inside2 min
  8. Action: Start and Keep Moving2 min
  9. Persist and Iterate2 min
  10. Follow the Process1 min
  11. Go Around, or Let It Defeat Itself2 min
  12. Will: Lincoln and the Inner Citadel2 min
  13. Expect It, Accept It, Love It2 min
  14. Persevere, Serve, Remember Death2 min
  15. The Obstacle Becomes the Way2 min

Recommended by

  • Steven PressfieldAuthor of The War of Art and Gates of Fire
    Follow these precepts and you will revolutionize your life. Read this book!
  • Robert GreeneAuthor of The 48 Laws of Power and Mastery
    A book for the bedside of every future—and current—leader in the world.
  • Rory McIlroyGolfer, two time PGA Champion
    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.
  • Nick SabanHead football coach at the University of Alabama
    A very, very good book with lots of examples about people who had to overcome great obstacles to have success.
  • Nancy F. KoehnHistorian and leadership expert, Harvard Business School
    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!
  • Chris GuillebeauAuthor of The $100 Startup
    This surprising book shows you how to craft a life of wonder by embracing obstacles and challenges.

About the author

  • Ryan HolidayAmerican author and former director of marketing at American Apparel
    • Born 16 June 1987; American marketer and author
    • Grew up in Sacramento; dropped out of UC Riverside at 19 and moved to Los Angeles
    • First book Trust Me, I'm Lying, 2012
    • Became known for marketing Stoicism as a lifestyle
    • Hosts The Daily Stoic Podcast since 2018
    • Owns Painted Porch Bookshop outside Austin, Texas

Read it alongside

  • Goes deeperMindset

    Holiday tells readers to treat failure as feedback and keep going; Dweck explains why that is hard for some, since a fixed mindset turns failure into an identity with no recovery plan, while a growth mindset treats it as a problem to learn from.

  • Goes deeperThe Courage to Be Disliked

    Holiday says situations are not good or bad in themselves and we bring the judgment; Kishimi and Koga, following Adler, explain that we choose the meaning of an experience to serve a present goal.

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