Life’s Detours, Forks, and Other Unscheduled Field Trips: 5 Quotes About the Paths We Take
Life’s Detours, Forks, and Other Unscheduled Field Trips
Five famous quotes about the paths life takes you down—graded like an English professor, rewritten like an English professor who also pays rent with Blogger templates.
There is a comforting myth—taught in early adulthood and reinforced by every planner aisle at Target—that life is a straight road. You pick a direction, you work hard, and you arrive at the destination labeled “Success, But Make It Photogenic.”
Then life does what it does best: it hands you a detour sign and disappears into the woods like a raccoon with your wallet. Suddenly, you’re on an unexpected route, asking big questions like: “Is this growth, or did I just take the wrong exit because I was thinking about snacks?”
When the path starts splitting into forks, switchbacks, and mysterious dirt roads labeled “SCENIC,” I turn to quotes—not because they magically solve anything, but because they give shape to the experience of choosing with incomplete information. Which, for the record, is basically the human condition. Also: I like the feeling of borrowing wisdom from people who had time to edit.
1) Robert Frost — Two roads diverged… and so did my confidence
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— / I took the one less traveled by…”(From “The Road Not Taken”)
People quote Frost like it’s a victory lap. But the deeper truth is that every choice comes with a receipt for the road you didn’t take. If you feel a little grief about the alternate timeline, congratulations: you have a functioning nervous system.
Use it when: You made a big choice, it changed your life, and you’re trying to own it without turning the past into a courtroom drama starring You vs. You.
2) C. S. Lewis — The present is where the steering wheel lives
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
This quote is the opposite of doom-scrolling your own regrets. It’s not dismissive of the past; it’s simply allergic to living there. If you’re stuck replaying “if only,” Lewis gently drags your attention back to the only point on the map where you can actually move: today.
Use it when: You need a reset that doesn’t require time travel (or a dramatic montage set to inspirational piano).
3) Tolkien (Gandalf) — Time is the real currency, and I keep spending mine on nonsense
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
You don’t always get to choose the terrain. But you can choose your next step—especially when your brain is staging a full production of “What If Everything Goes Wrong?” This quote shrinks the chaos into something manageable: you can’t fix everything, but you can do something.
Use it when: You’re overwhelmed and need a steady, non-flashy truth to grab onto.
4) Joseph Campbell — Let go of Plan A (and stop hugging it like a flotation device)
“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
This one isn’t just about logistics—it’s about identity. Plans aren’t calendars; they’re stories we tell ourselves about who we’ll become. Letting go can feel like losing a version of you. But sometimes the “detour” is where the actual life is happening, and you can’t fully live it while you’re still arguing with the universe’s routing algorithm.
Use it when: You’re grieving what you expected—and trying to make peace with what’s real.
5) Yogi Berra — Comedy as a coping strategy (and it’s working)
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
It’s absurd, which is why it’s helpful. We freeze at forks because we want perfect certainty before we move. But movement creates information. Choose a direction, learn, adjust. Revision isn’t failure—it’s evidence that you’re paying attention.
Use it when: You’re overthinking and need permission to stop buffering.
The point (a practical one)
You don’t need a perfect plan. You need:
- One honest decision
- One next step
- One willingness to revise (without calling yourself names)
- And yes, one snack—because life gets dramatically harder when you’re hungry and morally superior about it.
Also, if you want a tiny “detour kit” that makes life’s reroutes calmer (and less chaotic), here are a few things we actually used and would pack again:
What We Actually Used (And Would Pack Again)
-
Beast 30 oz Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Tumbler (Stormy Sky Blue)
Check price →
Hydration, but with main-character energy. Also doubles as emotional support cup. -
Aerotrunk Compression Packing Cubes for Travel (6-Pack, Purple)
Check price →
Turns “I packed in a panic” into “I packed like an adult.” Allegedly. -
Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Noise-Canceling Headphones + 20W Dual-Port Wall Charger (Blue Dusk)
Check price →
For when your environment is loud and your inner monologue is louder. -
Wallaroo Hat Company Men’s Summit Sun Hat (UPF 50+, packable)
Check price →
Sun protection that says, “I’m responsible,” even if I’m winging everything else.
Affiliate note: If you use the links above, it may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support the project.
One more thing: if you want a calm backdrop while you read
Here’s a longer ambient set on YouTube (low-stimulation listening):
Watch / Listen →
Optional journaling prompts (because professors love homework)
- What road did I not take—and what do I need to forgive myself for?
- If I start where I am today, what’s one small action that changes the ending?
- What part of Plan A am I clinging to that’s keeping me from living Plan Reality?
Find me here (Deep Dive AI)
If life is taking you down a new path right now: you don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need the next honest step.
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