The Obstacle Is the Way Audiobook By Ryan Holiday cover art

The Obstacle Is the Way

The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

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The Obstacle Is the Way

By: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
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#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
Career Success Motivation & Self-Improvement Personal Development Personal Success Philosophy Stoicism Sports Inspiring Career Thought-Provoking Ancient Greece Resilience

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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Practical Wisdom • Inspiring Stories • Calm Voice • Transformative Insights • Historical Examples • Actionable Advice
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This book came highly recommended. While the content is great, the narrator of this audio book is very lack luster. I lost interest in the content and found it very difficult to complete due to the very underwhelming voice over.

Great content. Boring audio.

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Not only is the topic of stoicism covered well, it's narrated with perfection. Beautifully done in absolutely every way.

Simply spectacular!

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This book has a hidden gem in each section. Brings to life the practical use of stoicism!! Love it!!

Can’t get enough of it

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After that, it’s amazing. I promise.

Really helped my outlook on life. Now I play various chapters in the car whenever I’m down and need a reminder.

Get Past the First Chapter

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I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this book. It was amazing. Great information and advice to help us live better lives and be better people.

Great Content

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I believe that the philosophies of the stoic can be utilized by everybody, young and old. This book did a great job at outlining the principles with great examples.

Stoic ways for current and future days

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Short and sweet. Loved it! Definitely worth the time. I appreciate the story and then the point made.

To the point

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As a stoicism practitioner myself, I find that Ryan Holiday eloquently adapts this ancient philosophy well with today's issues and challenges. However, I feel he interprets the stoicism philosophy much more accurately in his other audiobook, Stillness is the Key.

A Modern-Day Interpretation of Ancient Stoicism

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What a great explanation of stoicism. Not to take away from actually reading the books on stoicism yourself.

Read often, practice daily.

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The way he weaves modern day examples, with the old, to give an up to date addition to the world of Stoicism is well done. The narrator was easy to listen too and spoke in way that having him on a faster made it easier to follow along.

Great Introduction to Stoicism

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