# The Obstacle Helps Us on the Road by Marcus Aurelius > “The mind converts and changes every hindrance to its activity into an aid; and so that which is a hindrance is made a furtherance to an act; and that which is an obstacle on the road helps us on this road.” > **— Marcus Aurelius**, *Meditations, 5.20* ## Sources and Context - **Direct or authoritative text:** [Meditations, 5.20](https://classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.5.five.html) — George Long’s public-domain translation of *Meditations* 5.20. The wording is preserved rather than replaced by the later “obstacle is the way” rendering. - **Why it belongs here:** The passage describes improvement, revelation, learning, or increased capability through opposition, error, difficulty, or adversity. It does not imply that unlimited injury is beneficial. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Book:** [[books/Chimping Out|Chimping Out]] - **Article:** [[articles/Ideas as Lindy Organisms|Ideas as Lindy Organisms]] - **Article:** [[articles/artificial-intelligence/Cybernetic Domestication Syndrome of Men and AI|Cybernetic Domestication Syndrome of Men and AI]] - **Article:** [[articles/Authorship After the Threshold|Authorship After the Threshold]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Antifragility|Antifragility]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “The mind converts and changes every hindrance to its activity into an aid; and so that which is a hindrance is made a furtherance to an act; and that which is an obstacle on the road helps us on this road.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.20 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-marcus-aurelius-obstacle-helps-road ```