Logo - Feel The Words

Obstacle Quotes

On the difference between a wall and a stepping-stone.

These quotes reframe obstacles as a matter of perspective, arguing that nothing blocks you unless you decide it does, and that the same granite block can be a wall for one person and a stepping-stone for another.

Nothing is an obstacle unless you say it is.

Quotes by Wally Amos

The block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, became a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong.

Quotes by Thomas Carlyle

In the NFL, you're always facing an obstacle.

Quotes by Steve Young

The budget evolved from a management tool into an obstacle to management.

Quotes by Frank Carlucci

Challenge Quotes

Conceit is an insuperable obstacle to all progress.

Quotes by Ellen Terry

Thus in Christianity the alienation had become total, and it was this total alienation that was the biggest obstacle to the progress of self-consciousness.

Quotes by Bruno Bauer

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the core idea behind 'nothing is an obstacle unless you say it is'?
It suggests obstacles are partly a matter of framing - something only becomes a true barrier once a person decides to treat it that way, rather than working around it.
What does the granite block metaphor mean in these quotes?
One quote explains that the same block of granite can be an obstacle for someone weak but a stepping-stone for someone strong, showing that the object itself doesn't determine the outcome, related to challenge.
Are obstacles described as a normal part of professional sports?
Yes - one quote from an NFL context describes facing an obstacle as something that happens constantly in that league, treating it as routine rather than exceptional.
Can something meant to help ever become an obstacle itself?
One quote makes exactly that point, describing how a budget can evolve from a useful management tool into an obstacle to the very management it was meant to support.
Do these quotes treat obstacles as purely negative?
Not entirely - several reframe obstacles as opportunities depending on mindset, a theme that connects to growth.

One athlete notes that facing an obstacle is simply routine in a league like the NFL, while another warns that even a budget can turn into one. See also growth and identity.