Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

The quote frames adversity as a practical problem rather than a verdict on one’s ability. “Wall” functions as a vivid metaphor for any hard constraint—failure, rejection, injury, or circumstance—while the three options (climb, go through, work around) emphasize agency and adaptability. Instead of romanticizing perseverance, it recommends strategic persistence: assess the barrier, choose a method, and keep moving. Attributed to Michael Jordan, the sentiment aligns with the public narrative of his career—cut from his high-school varsity team, relentless training, and repeated postseason setbacks—though the idea is broadly applicable beyond sport as a mindset for iterative problem-solving.