"Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply a course to develop his achievement muscle. It's a strengthening of his powers of accomplishment"
About this Quote
The subtext is a quiet moral hierarchy. Desire isn’t just wanting; it’s framed as a kind of character credential. If “nothing stops” you, then being stopped starts to look like an internal deficiency. That’s empowering when you’re stuck in a rut and need agency back; it’s also ruthless in its implication that the world’s constraints are ultimately negotiable if your will is strong enough.
Context matters: Butterworth, a 20th-century educator with one foot in New Thought spirituality, is speaking from a tradition that treats consciousness as causative and adversity as curriculum. The line “course to develop” gives it away - obstacles become a syllabus, life becomes a self-directed school.
Why it works is its emotional bargain: it offers control in exchange for relentless responsibility. For readers hungry to move, that trade can feel like freedom. For anyone carrying structural or accidental hardship, it can sound like being graded for getting hurt.
Quote Details
| Topic | Overcoming Obstacles |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Butterworth, Eric. (2026, January 16). Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply a course to develop his achievement muscle. It's a strengthening of his powers of accomplishment. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/nothing-stops-the-man-who-desires-to-achieve-115376/
Chicago Style
Butterworth, Eric. "Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply a course to develop his achievement muscle. It's a strengthening of his powers of accomplishment." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/nothing-stops-the-man-who-desires-to-achieve-115376/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply a course to develop his achievement muscle. It's a strengthening of his powers of accomplishment." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/nothing-stops-the-man-who-desires-to-achieve-115376/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.









