An expert economist, John Kay is also a regular columnist for the Financial Times. Here he draws on dozens of examples from a diverse set of backgrounds to show how the true path to achieving any large, abstract goal is an indirect one. He illustrates how setting goals of quality rather than quantity often contributes to success and happiness in business and in life. He then goes on to point out many of the traps and pitfalls associated with a more direct approach to achieving one's goals. Counterintuitive, and yet grounded in common sense, Obliquity will change the way we think about success and how it is achieved.