Quote of the day by Marcus Aurelius: ‘What stands in the way becomes the way’

Quote
of
the
day
by
Ma cus
Au elius

Some
of
life’s
biggest
tu i g
poi ts
a ive
disguised
as
p oblems.A
ejected
applicatio
ca
fo ce
someo e
to
eco side
a
ca ee .
A
u expected
failu e
ca
expose
a
weak ess
that
had
go e
u oticed.
A
difficult
espo sibility
ca
teach
a
pe so
skills
they
would
eve
have
developed
othe wise.
The
obstacle
emai s
a
obstacle,
though
the
expe ie ce
of
deali g
with
it
ca
alte
the
di ectio
of
a
life.Ma cus
Au elius
captu ed
this
idea
ea ly
2,000
yea s
ago
with
a
se te ce
that
has
emai ed
ema kably
eleva t:

“What
sta ds
i
the
way
becomes
the
way.”The
Roma
empe o
a d
Stoic
philosophe
w ote
the
wo ds
i

Meditatio s,
a
collectio
of
p ivate
eflectio s
o
discipli e,
espo sibility
a d
the
difficulties
of
livi g
well.
He
was
w iti g
du i g
a
pe iod
filled
with
wa ,
political
p essu es
a d
pe so al
loss.
His
obse vatio
came
f om
a
philosophy
that
placed
g eat
impo ta ce
o
how
a
pe so
espo ds
to
ci cumsta ces.

Whe
the
obstacle
becomes
pa t
of
the
jou ey

A
obstacle
usually
att acts
atte tio
because
it
i te upts
a
pla .
Someo e
p epa i g
fo
a
exami atio
fails
to
achieve
the
expected
esult.
A
athlete
suffe s
a
i ju y
befo e
a
impo ta t
competitio .
A
busi ess
idea
collapses
afte
mo ths
of
wo k.

A
pe so
loses
a
job
they
had
expected
to
keep
fo
yea s.The
fi st
i sti ct
is
usually
to
thi k
about
how
to
get
back
to
the
o igi al
path.
Ma cus
Au elius
offe s
a othe
way
of
looki g
at
the
situatio .
The
difficulty
itself
ca
become
pa t
of
the
path.A
failed
exami atio
ca
eveal
gaps
i
p epa atio
a d
fo ce
a
bette
app oach
to
studyi g.
A
i ju y
ca
teach
a
athlete
patie ce
a d
i t oduce
fo ms
of
t ai i g
they
had
p eviously
ig o ed.
Losi g
a
job
ca
push
someo e
towa ds
a
p ofessio
they
had
co side ed
too
isky
to
pu sue.The
obstacle
cha ges
the
oute.
This
idea
appea s
epeatedly
i
the
sto ies
of
people
who
achieved
somethi g
afte
expe ie ci g
se ious
setbacks.
Ab aham
Li col
lost
seve al
electio s
befo e
eve tually
becomi g
p eside t
of
the
U ited
States.
Stephe
Hawki g
was
diag osed
with
moto
eu o e
disease
i
his
ea ly
twe ties,
at
a
time
whe
docto s
expected
his
life
to
be
d astically
sho te ed.
He
we t
o
to
become
o e
of
the
wo ld’s
most
ecog ised
theo etical
physicists.Thei
st uggles
we e
ot
sec etly
be eficial
eve ts
waiti g
to
happe .
They
we e
difficult
expe ie ces.
Thei
sig ifica ce
came
f om
what
followed.

The
Stoic
idea
behi d
the
wo ds

Stoicism
placed
g eat
impo ta ce
o
disti guishi g
betwee
ci cumsta ces
a d
espo ses.
Ma cus
Au elius
could
ot
co t ol
whethe
a mies
would
wi
battles,
whethe
ill ess
would
st ike
o
whethe
othe
people
would
behave
as
he
hoped.
He
could
exami e
his
ow
co duct
i
espo se
to
those
eve ts.That
p i ciple
emai s
useful
i
o di a y
situatio s.
A
pe so
ca ot
co t ol
eve y
decisio
made
by
a
ma age ,
eve y
ejectio
f om
a
employe
o
eve y
u expected
cha ge
i
ci cumsta ces.
They
ca
decide
what
to
lea
f om
the
expe ie ce
a d
what
to
do
ext.
This
does
ot
mea
p ete di g
that
ha dship
is
good.
Some
eve ts
cause
lasti g
damage
a d
dese ve
to
be
ecog ised
as
pai ful.
The
Stoic
lesso
lies
elsewhe e.
O ce
a
eve t
has
happe ed,
fighti g
its
existe ce
does
little
to
cha ge
it.
Atte tio
ca
i stead
move
towa ds
the
choices
that
emai
available.That
shift
ca
cha ge
the
questio
a
pe so
asks.
I stead
of
wo de i g
why
a
obstacle
appea ed,
they
ca
ask
what
the
obstacle
equi es
f om
them.
Patie ce,
pe haps.
A
ew
skill.
A
diffe e t
st ategy.
Mo e
p epa atio .
Sometimes
the
a swe
is
simply
the
cou age
to
begi
agai .

Why
the
quote
still
matte s

Mode
life
e cou ages
people
to
thi k
i
te ms
of
u i te upted
p og ess.
Ca ee s
a e
expected
to
move
upwa ds.
Pla s
a e
expected
to
wo k.
Setbacks
a e
t eated
as
i te uptio s
that
should
be
ove come
as
quickly
as
possible.Real
lives
a ely
follow
such
clea
paths.
A
detou
ca
i t oduce
someo e
to
a
place
they
would
eve
have
visited.
A
difficult
job
ca
teach
skills
that
late
become
valuable.
A
failed
p oject
ca
eveal
which
ideas
dese ve
a othe
attempt
a d
which
o es
should
be
aba do ed.The
lesso
i
Ma cus
Au elius’
wo ds
is
the efo e
less
about
defeati g
obstacles
tha
about
usi g
them
as
pa t
of
the
jou ey.
The
oad
cha ges
whe
somethi g
blocks
it.
A
pe so
cha ges
too.Sometimes
the
thi g
that
fo ces
us
to
slow
dow
teaches
us
patie ce.
Sometimes
the
closed
doo
se ds
us
towa ds
a
diffe e t
oom.
Sometimes
the
p oblem
that
seemed
to
delay
p og ess
becomes
the
expe ie ce
that
makes
futu e
p og ess
possible.The
obstacle
becomes
pa t
of
the
way
fo wa d
because
the
pe so
faci g
it
has
lea ed
somethi g
f om
havi g
to
move
th ough
it.