The Obstacle Is the Way (2014) by Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday's modern classic The Obstacle Is the Way 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.” 

This book demonstrates 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 choice to embrace 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.

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A very brief description of "The Obstacle Is 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.

What Holiday sets out to do / Purpose of the bookTo introduce stoic philosophy to the modern reader and show how amazing stoicism is - and how damn practical - it still is over 2,000 years later

What challenges/problems does it attempt to solve?To give the reader tools to transform our greatest challenges into our greatest successes

The intended audience of the book / Who will benefit most?Anyone who loves philosophyAnyone who believes in self-improvementAnyone who enjoys real-life examples of famous people succeeding through hard timesAnyone who wants an optimistic - and practical - application of psychologyGreek-o-philes

Who probably WON’T like “The Obstacle Is the Way”?Someone who doesn't like challenge or discomfortPeople who own rose colored glasses (and won’t take them off)Idiots

How does this book specifically benefit Men? Blueprint of great men from history - shows us what we should do, how we should act

Is this book Easy, Average or Difficult to read? / How long is it? Easy to read, almost bite sized pieces with a story and a lessonPrint: 224 pages - About 4-5 hoursAudio: 6 hours 7 minWhat are the overall book reviews?

Is the book well-known? Popular? Significant?Very well known5,639 -- 4.7 StarsKindle: Best Sellers Rank: #1,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)#6 in Philosophy Movements (Books)#43 in Business Motivation & Self-Improvement (Books)#45 in Motivational Management & LeadershipAudible 4.6 17,005 ratings#118 in Audible Books & Originals #1 in Philosophy Movements (Books)#4 in Philosophy (Audible Books & Originals)#5 in Business Motivation & Self-Improvement (Audible Books & Originals)

Short bio of Ryan HolidayRyan Holiday (born June 16, 1987) is an American author, public-relations strategist, bookstore owner and host of the podcast The Daily Stoic. He is a former director of marketing for American Apparel. Holiday began his professional career after dropping out of college at the age of 19. He attended University of California, Riverside, where he studied politic