The obstacle is the path.

The saying collapses the usual distinction between “problem” and “progress.” Instead of viewing obstacles as barriers to a goal, it suggests that the very experience of obstruction—fear, limitation, conflict, uncertainty—is where transformation occurs. In a Zen-inflected reading, resistance exposes attachment and fixed self-concepts; by staying present with what is difficult, one sees through those habits and gains freedom. The quote also implies a practical ethic: do not wait for perfect circumstances to begin; the path is made by engaging what blocks you, using difficulty as a teacher rather than an excuse to turn away.