--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are four obstacles. First: we are…" description: "\"“There are four obstacles. First: we are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible. The second obstacle: love. We know wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/paulo-coelho-10_adversity_there-are-four-obstacles-first-we-are-to_1020430.jpg" --- # There are four obstacles. First: we are told from… ![“There are four obstacles. First: we are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible. The second obstacle: love. We know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything in order to pursue our dream. The third obstacle: fear of the…” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/paulo-coelho-10_adversity_there-are-four-obstacles-first-we-are-to_1020430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/paulo-coelho-10_adversity_there-are-four-obstacles-first-we-are-to_1020430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/paulo-coelho-10_adversity_there-are-four-obstacles-first-we-are-to_1020430.jpg) > ““There are four obstacles. First: we are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible. The second obstacle: love. We know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything in order to pursue our dream. The third obstacle: fear of the defeats we will meet on the path. The fourth obstacle: the fear of realizing the dream for which we fought all our lives.”” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Four internal barriers—cultural conditioning, love, fear of failure, and fear of success—prevent us from pursuing dreams. **In simple terms:** We face mental blocks that stop us from following our dreams. Key Takeaway Identify and confront each obstacle to move forward. Themes dreams obstacles fear love cultural conditioning Mood reflective determined hopeful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career change - artistic projects - personal goals - relationship decisions Key Concepts psychology self‑development motivation Questions to Reflect On - Which obstacle feels strongest to you? - How can you transform fear into motivation? A Different Perspective Overcomingcoming may be oversimplified; real change often needs external support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Obstacle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacle/) [Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles/) ## Related quotes > [“the fourth obstacle: the fear of realizing the dream for which we fought all our lives. Oscar Wilde said: “Each man kills the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-fourth-obstacle-the-fear-of-realizing-the-dream-for-which-we/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The greatest obstacle to love is fear. It has been the source of all defects in human behavior throughout the ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-mohammed-taha/the-greatest-obstacle-to-love-is-fear-it-has-been-the-source-of-all/) Mahmoud Mohammed Taha > [“However, we don’t all have the courage to confront our own dream. Why? There are four obstacles. First: we are told from childhood onward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/however-we-don-t-all-have-the-courage-to-confront-our-own-dream-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The only obstacle you should fear much is yourself, if you made up your mind to head on for this life, the only person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/the-only-obstacle-you-should-fear-much-is-yourself-if-you-made-up/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [It is fear of failure Which stand like rock to elude the progress & success. We must be wiser & stronger enough to remove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/it-is-fear-of-failure-which-stand-like-rock-to-elude-the-progress/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [“If he has the courage to unearth his dreams, he then faces a second obstacle: love. He now knows what he desires to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-he-has-the-courage-to-unearth-his-dreams-he-then-faces-a-second/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I thrive on obstacles. If I'm told that it can't be told, then I push harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/i-thrive-on-obstacles-if-i-m-told-that-it-can-t-be-told-then-i-push/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [“Fear, you must understand is more than a mere obstacle. Fear is a TEACHER. the first one you ever had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/professor-johnathan-crane-the-scarecrow/fear-you-must-understand-is-more-than-a-mere-obstacle-fear-is-a/) Professor Johnathan Crane- the Scarecrow > [The biggest obstacle of love is the fear of not being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-obstacle-of-love-is-the-fear-of-not-being-loved/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Since God wishes it - there is nothing to be done. . . Why should you thus torment yourself? Get rid of whatever He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mary-alacoque/since-god-wishes-it-there-is-nothing-to-be-done-why-should-you-thus/) [Margaret Mary Alacoque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mary-alacoque/) > [Art thrives on obstacles. The bigger the obstacle, the better the drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/art-thrives-on-obstacles-the-bigger-the-obstacle-the-better-the-drama/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [I've been able to overcome obstacles that would fold most people over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mir/i-ve-been-able-to-overcome-obstacles-that-would-fold-most-people-over/) [Frank Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mir/) > [Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/obstacles-are-necessary-for-success-because-in-selling-as-in-all/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [An obstacle is often a stepping stone... Things that appear to be obstacles are often helpful in the long run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/an-obstacle-is-often-a-stepping-stone-things-that-appear-to-be/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [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/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## 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 > [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 > [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": "“There are four obstacles. First: we are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible. The second obstacle: love. We know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything in order to pursue our dream. 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