HOW I WROTE
THE OB STAC LE I S THE WAY
I have always believed that authors write the books they have to
write. And The Obstacle Is The
WayPZ[OLIVVR0]LYLHSS`^HU[LK[V^YP[LZPUJL0^HZYZ[L_WVZLKto a kernel of
the idea almost 8 years ago. When I started to seriously consider
writ-
ing it, I recognized that it would be a book that was beyond my
skill level as a writer,
as a storyteller and as a thinker. But because I had been
living, learning and thinking
HIV\[[OLPKLHMVYZVSVUN0RUL^[OH[0OHKHUVWWVY[\UP[`[VYHPZLT`NHTLZPTWS`I`H[[LTW[PUN[VKV[OL[VWPJQ\Z[PJL0[ZOHYK[VQ\KNLVULZV^U^VYRI\[0[OPURIve
succeed with this book.
;OPZIVVRZ[HY[LK^P[OHZPUNSL:[VPJL_LYJPZLRUV^UHZ[\YUPUNVIZ[HJSLZ\WZPKLdown.
I had discovered it when I was 19 years old, though obviously I
hardly under-
stood it then. In the years that came after, I thought about it
constantly. I read books
[VOLSWTL\UKLYZ[HUKP[7PLYYL/HKV[Zbooks on philosophy, for
instance) and at-[LTW[LK[VWYHJ[PJLP[PUT`V^USPMLI wrote about it on
occasion. I started to notice
WH[[LYUZPUYLHKPUNHUKT`L_WLYPLUJLZVMV[OLYWLVWSL\ZPUNP[[OLTZLS]LZ^OL[OLY[OL`L_WSPJP[S`HJRUV^SLKNLKP[VYUV[0JVSSLJ[LK[OVZLPKLHin
my own way^P[O[OLUV[PVU[OH[VULKH `0^V\SKUKH\ZLMVY[OLT
;OLUT`VWWVY[\UP[`JHTLHUK0Q\TWLKVUP[Trust Me, Im
LyingOHKQ\Z[launched and it was causing controversy and getting
worldwide media attention. It
OHWWLULK[VILZLSSPUN^LSS[VV0[KLI\[LKH[VU[OLWall Street Journal
Bestseller
SPZ[0HSZV\UKLYZ[VVK[OH[IVVRLKP[VYZHYLU[KLZWLYH[LS`SVVRPUNHYV\UKMVYHIVVRHIV\[WYHJ[PJHSWOPSVZVWO
`:V^OPSL[OLRL[[SL^HZOV[0^YV[LHIVVRWYVWVZHSMVYThe Obstacle Is The
Way[OLWYVWVZHS^HZ[P[SLKTurning Obstacles Upside Down) My
W\ISPZOLY7VY[MVSPV7LUN\PUZH^[OH[0JV\SK^YP[LHNVVKIVVRHUKSPRLK[OLWYVWVZ-HSLUV\NO[OH[0ZVSK[OLIVVRPU(\N\Z[VMHWWYV_PTH[LS`HTVU[OHM[LYTMIL
had hit the shelves.
