The road less traveled

The road less traveled is an idiom that is taken from a poem, though it is not an accurate quote from the poem. We will examine the definition of the road less traveled, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.

The phrase the road less traveled means a choice made in one’s life that is unconventional, a choice that leads one in a different direction than most people. The connotation is of a choice that expresses individuality and leadership. The expression the road less traveled is a paraphrase of a line in Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken, published in 1920: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -I took the one less traveled by…”  Interestingly, most scholars interpret the poem as a meditation on the tendency for a man to look back on all his choices as momentous ones that brought him to his standing today, though in truth, each choice was not momentous nor an act of courage, at the time the choice was made.

Examples

“As students of the OBAS, we’ve taken the road less traveled.” (The Chinook Observer)

Or you can take the road less traveled and hike to the top of Mount Tallac for an unforgettable view of the pageant. (The Huffington Post)

He lived life in the moment ­— always finding that tree to climb, the wave to ride, the road less traveled. (The Aspen Times)

The park reminds me of a choose-your-own-adventure book – paths and roadways leading in different directions, adventures and sights ever-changing depending on whether I take the left path, or the right one or the road less traveled. (The Voice Tribune)