Front: “What stands in the way becomes the way” · Marcus Aurelius, AD 121 to 180
Back: “It is in the struggle that we discover our true potential, for what stays in the way shapes who we become.”
At a glance
- Theme: problems as raw material
- Good for: a setback at work, a failed launch, a hard season of training, a problem you can't go around
- Gift for: a manager or founder, readers of Meditations, an athlete coming back from a loss
- Finishes: Antique Silver (brass alloy), Antique Bronze (brass alloy), Antique Copper (solid copper)
- Size: 39 mm, about 1 oz, die struck in the USA
The meaning
The front quotes Meditations 5.20, a note Marcus Aurelius wrote to himself: the impediment to action advances action, and what stands in the way becomes the way. It is the source of the popular phrase the obstacle is the way.
His point was practical. When something blocks your plan, it shows you what to work on next: patience, skill, nerve. The back puts the same idea in one sentence: it is in the struggle that we discover our true potential.
The design
The front shows Marcus Aurelius from the waist up in a Roman toga, with his name and dates beside him and the quote around the rim. The back sets the second quote at the center, framed by fine ornaments and a ring of small stars.
On good days and hard days
- On good days, it reminds you that the problems you solved are what made you stronger.
- On hard days, when a problem blocks your way, it turns it into the next step: what stands in the way becomes the way.
Carry it
Reach for it when a problem lands on your desk and your first instinct is to complain. One customer wrote that its size and weight are just right for keeping it handy and reading it often. Another admitted being skeptical of buying online and was won over by the weight and the detail.
Give it
Customers give it to their husbands, and it suits managers and anyone heading into a hard stretch. For a reader of Meditations, pair it with the Marcus Aurelius Coin: one is about your mind, the other about your problems.
Specs
- Diameter: 1.54 in (39 mm), about the size of a silver dollar
- Thickness: 2.7 mm
- Weight: about 1 oz (28 g)
- Material: brass alloy (Antique Silver, Antique Bronze) or solid copper (Antique Copper)
- Made: die struck, minted in the USA
- Each coin is antiqued with a special patina so it looks like it has already been in circulation. The patina never settles the same way twice, so no two coins look exactly alike. Small variations in color and shading are normal, and they are what make your coin one of a kind.
Questions
Did Marcus Aurelius say “the obstacle is the way”?
Close to it. In Meditations 5.20 he wrote that what stands in the way becomes the way. The shorter phrase is a modern summary of that line.
What is a good gift for a fan of the obstacle is the way?
A coin with the original Marcus Aurelius line they can carry every day. This is the one.
How is it different from the Marcus Aurelius Coin?
The Marcus Aurelius Coin is about controlling your thoughts. The Obstacle Path Coin is about using the problems in front of you.
Other Stoic coins
- Marcus Aurelius Coin: power over your mind
- Seneca Coin: for worry and overthinking
- Stoic Virtues Coin: the four virtues as a daily checklist
- Amor Fati Coin: love your fate
For keys: The Obstacle Path Key Tag.
Care: keep it dry and wipe it with a soft cloth. No polishing needed; the aged finish is part of the look.
Original design by EDC Reminder Coins, protected by copyright. We don't take custom orders.