Now Reading: Marcus Aurelius quote on obstacles remains relevant 2,000 years on
-
01
Marcus Aurelius quote on obstacles remains relevant 2,000 years on
Marcus Aurelius quote on obstacles remains relevant 2,000 years on
Times of India highlights a 2,000-year-old quote from Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius: 'What stands in the way becomes the way.' Written in his private work Meditations during war, political…
The Story in Brief
Times of India highlights a 2,000-year-old quote from Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius: 'What stands in the way becomes the way.' Written in his private work Meditations during war, political pressure, and personal loss, the idea urges readers to treat obstacles as part of the journey rather than interruptions. A failed exam, an injury, a job loss, or a collapsed business can reveal hidden weaknesses, teach new skills, or redirect a career. The piece cites Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Hawking as examples. Modern life, says the article, wrongly expects uninterrupted progress, but real lives rarely follow such clean paths.
The Indian Opinion
Indian readers, bombarded with quick-fix success stories, may bristle at yet another 'hardship is a blessing' narrative. But Times of India's piece is not platitude: it grounds resilience in the Stoic separation of events from responses. The test lies not in admiring ancient wisdom but in noticing whose struggles, like Abraham Lincoln's or Stephen Hawking's, we hold up as examples, and whose quiet, daily obstacles we ignore. Does the quote comfort the privileged or inspire the desperate?
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
