Marcus Aurelius — The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius, 'Meditations' 5.20
A startling reversal: the obstacle is not blocking your path, it *is* your path. Whatever stops you is precisely the thing you are now being asked to work on.
The tense you keep getting wrong is not delaying your English. It is your English lesson, arriving in the only form that could teach you.
Words that widen the world
Something that blocks or delays progress.
Synonyms: obstacle, barrier, hindrance
The impediment became the lesson.
To move forward or make progress.
Synonyms: progress, further, promote
The difficulty advanced her skill.
Common questions
It means obstacles are not interruptions to progress but the very material of it — the thing blocking you shows you the path forward.
From 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius, book 5, section 20.
Carry it with you
In your own words, what does this thought mean to you? Write three or four sentences in English about a moment when it felt true — saying it yourself is how it stays with you.
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