--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is not about focusing on the…" description: "\"Life is not about focusing on the obstacles. It's about how you handle them, and whether you get enlightenment or levity from the way you do it\" — Drew..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/drew-barrymore-921_adversity_life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstac_2714734.jpg" --- # Life is not about focusing on the obstacles. It's about… ![“Life is not about focusing on the obstacles. It's about how you handle them, and whether you get enlightenment or levity from the way you do it” quote by Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/drew-barrymore-921_adversity_life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstac_2714734.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/drew-barrymore-921_adversity_life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstac_2714734.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/drew-barrymore-921_adversity_life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstac_2714734.jpg) > “Life is not about focusing on the obstacles. It's about how you handle them, and whether you get enlightenment or levity from the way you do it” [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s value lies not in avoiding obstacles but in handling them, leading to insight or lightness. **In simple terms:** Focus on handling obstacles, not avoiding them. Key Takeaway Choose response over avoidance. Themes resilience mindset personal growth enlightenment Mood inspirational hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - Career setbacks - personal crises - daily challenges Key Concepts Stoicism psychological flexibility growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - How do you transform setbacks into insight? - What practices keep you light‑hearted? A Different Perspective Handling obstacles may not always yield enlightenment; sometimes outcomes are neutral. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Enlightenment Levity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment-levity-2835771/) [Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle/) [Handle Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle-enlightenment-2835770/) [Levity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Focusing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-focusing-680950/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles/) [Obstacles Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles-handle-2835772/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“You cannot fulfil God's purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans. ” Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/you-cannot-fulfil-god-s-purposes-for-your-life-while-focusing-on-your-2/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [You cannot fulfil God's purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/you-cannot-fulfil-god-s-purposes-for-your-life-while-focusing-on-your/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“I also think you can end up ignoring, and even losing, the positive things in your life by focusing too much on the negative.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-also-think-you-can-end-up-ignoring-and-even-losing-the-positive/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [You cannot fulfill GOD's purpose for your life while focusing on your own plans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collins-hasty/you-cannot-fulfill-god-s-purpose-for-your-life-while-focusing-on-your/) [Collins Hasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/collins-hasty/) > [I could spend my life focusing on getting rid of straws in our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/i-could-spend-my-life-focusing-on-getting-rid-of-straws-in-our-society/) [Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/) > [Always look for the good in every situation you face. And you'll go further in life than you could ever go with focusing on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/always-look-for-the-good-in-every-situation-you-face-and-you-ll-go/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“Don't ignore the love you DO have in your life by focusing on the love you DON'T.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/don-t-ignore-the-love-you-do-have-in-your-life-by-focusing-on-the/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [Removing all the negative people from my life & focusing on what's important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/removing-all-the-negative-people-from-my-life-focusing-on-what-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never spend your life focusing on what others want to see. Remember: You only have 1 life; FOCUS on what you want to be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/never-spend-your-life-focusing-on-what-others-want-to-see-remember/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Don't look back life is about focusing on what lies in front of your nose and not over your shoulder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-look-back-life-is-about-focusing-on-what-lies-in-front-of-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Edit your life by focusing only on those things that bring you joy, purpose, and inspiration. Anything else is not worth your energy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-ling-spencer/edit-your-life-by-focusing-only-on-those-things-that-bring-you-joy/) [Kristi Ling Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-ling-spencer/) > [Moderate strength is shown in violence, supreme strength is shown in levity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moderate-strength-is-shown-in-violence-supreme-strength-is-shown-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I follow a more easy, and, in my opinion, a wiser course, namely--to inveigh against the levity of the female sex, their fickleness, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/i-follow-a-more-easy-and-in-my-opinion-a-wiser-course-namely-to/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“I never thought I would see you armed." I was trying for levity. It worked like a lead balloon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-never-thought-i-would-see-you-armed-i-was-trying-for-levity-it/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [In my experience sometimes the darker the material that you're doing, the more necessary it is to have some sort of levity around. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-stahl/in-my-experience-sometimes-the-darker-the-material-that-you-re-doing/) [Nick Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-stahl/) ## More by Drew Barrymore > [My favorite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/my-favorite-thing-about-being-a-mom-is-just-what-a-better-person-it/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I've produced and gotten to do a lot of optimistic love stories, and that was so where I was at for 10 years in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-ve-produced-and-gotten-to-do-a-lot-of-optimistic-love-stories-and/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I've always been a homemaker, like, I like creating spaces. Even if I stay in a hotel, I'll unpack, I'll put my books out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-ve-always-been-a-homemaker-like-i-like-creating-spaces-even-if-i/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I am fundamentally happy. Everyone has experiences that makes them cynical, jaded or unhappy - you just have to fight those things off. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-am-fundamentally-happy-everyone-has-experiences-that-makes-them/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I've always loved butterflies, because they remind us that it's never too late to transform ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-ve-always-loved-butterflies-because-they-remind-us-that-it-s-never/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I grew up in a makeup chair, to see! the women around me getting ready was so aspirational, It is about mothers and daughters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-grew-up-in-a-makeup-chair-to-see-the-women-around-me-getting-ready/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [Everything I do, I do infinite percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/everything-i-do-i-do-infinite-percent/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I am who I am because of the people who influenced me growing up, and many of them were gay. No one has any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-am-who-i-am-because-of-the-people-who-influenced-me-growing-up-and/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [Falling in love with yourself is kind of interesting. You put so much stock into other people and then youre like, Im going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/falling-in-love-with-yourself-is-kind-of-interesting-you-put-so-much/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [Everything I touched in the kitchen turned out crappy, no matter how closely I followed the recipe or copied the cooking show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/everything-i-touched-in-the-kitchen-turned-out-crappy-no-matter-how/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I'm okay with the idea that slow and steady wins the race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-m-okay-with-the-idea-that-slow-and-steady-wins-the-race/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I'm glad I lived such a full life before I settled down into a family because I got to enjoy it and get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-m-glad-i-lived-such-a-full-life-before-i-settled-down-into-a-family/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I'm not after fame and success and fortune and power. It's mostly that I want to have a good job and have good friends;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-m-not-after-fame-and-success-and-fortune-and-power-it-s-mostly-that/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [Producing is so exciting because you can enable things to happen, whether it's like discovering a filmmaker who you're taking a chance on, protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/producing-is-so-exciting-because-you-can-enable-things-to-happen/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [Indecision is the most unsexy thing on the planet. I dont know if Im sexy but I think decisiveness is sexy. I also lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/indecision-is-the-most-unsexy-thing-on-the-planet-i-dont-know-if-im/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) [Explore all 329 Drew Barrymore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) ## More Adversity quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) [James Buckham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckham-kennedy/) > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/) [S.E. SEVER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-sever/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 5,001 Adversity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life is not about focusing on the obstacles. It's about how you handle them, and whether you get enlightenment or levity from the way you do it", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Drew Barrymore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstacles-it-s-about-how-you-handle/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adversity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstacles-it-s-about-how-you-handle/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/drew-barrymore-921_adversity_life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstac_2714734.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/drew-barrymore-921_adversity_life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstac_2714734.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/drew-barrymore-921_adversity_life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstac_2714734.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is not about focusing on the obstacles. It's about how you handle them, and whether you get…” — Drew Barrymore", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Drew Barrymore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life is not about focusing on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstacles-it-s-about-how-you-handle/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/life-is-not-about-focusing-on-the-obstacles-it-s-about-how-you-handle/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```