Yesterday, on World Philosophy Day, I completed reading this gem, so here’s a book review of The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday.
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Ryan Holiday has done an exemplary job of taking philosophy out of classrooms and books and placing it firmly in our daily lives. This book is inspired by the philosophy of the 2nd-century Roman Ruler Marcus Aurelius and the concepts of Stoicism. Through this book, Ryan is showing us that what blocks our path actually opens up a new and better one. This book is optimistic in its approach to life’s problems, and a must-read as we all are going through some obstacles in our lives. It will teach us how to make a shift in our perspective when we face adversities.
Ryan uses the examples of Thomas Edison, who was deaf, and Helen Keller, who was both deaf and dumb. It was the acceptance of their constraints that allowed them to develop different abilities and achieve greatness. Ryan argues that our constraints push us to places and inspire us to develop skills that we would otherwise never have pursued.
He summarises that the essence of philosophy is action, in having the ability to turn obstacles upside down with our minds. And that essence is offered in this small but powerful book.
I hope that by reading this book you are also able to turn your Obstacles into Opportunities, your Trials into Triumphs and your Adversities into Advantages.
Happy Reading.
Book#: 206
Quotes from the Book, ‘Obstacle is the Way’ by Ryan Holiday
“Many of our problems come from having too much: rapid technological disruption, junk food, traditions that tell us the way we’re supposed to live our lives. We’re soft, entitled, and scared of conflict. Great times are great softeners. Abundance can be its own obstacle, as many people can at-test. Our generation needs an approach for overcoming obstacles and thriving amid chaos more than ever. One that will help turn our problems on their heads, using them as canvases on which to paint master works?” (p 8)
“Remember that this moment is not your life, it’s just a moment in your life. Focus on what is in front of you, right now. Ignore what it “represents”or it “means” or “why it happened to you.” There is plenty else going on right here to care about any of that.” (p48)
“No one can force us to give up or to believe something that is untrue (such as, that a situation is absolutely hopeless or impossible to improve). Our perceptions are the thing that we’re in complete control of. They can throw us in jail, label us, deprive us of our possessions, but they’ll never control our thoughts, our beliefs, our reactions. Which is to say, we are never completely powerless.” (p21)
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