Wikipedia : taking the road less traveled - Wikipedia Wikipedia : taking the road less traveled For WikiProject Roads, see Wikipedia : WikiProject Highways This page is an essay on the Ignore all rules policy and the Be bold guideline. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not one of Wikipedia policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms ; others only represent minority viewpoints. Shortcuts WP : TTRLT WP : ROAD This page in a nutshell : Doing things differently from others can often yield better results. Contents 1 The road less traveled 2 The road more often traveled 3 Origin 4 See also The road less traveled Taking the road more often traveled is almost always more stable, easier to cross, but...... taking the road less traveled can sometimes yield better and sounder results. Metaphorically speaking, someone who takes ' the road less traveled ' is acting independently, freeing themselves from the conformity of others ( who choose to take ' the road more often traveled ' ), generally making their own choices, and perhaps leaving a new trail that will become the road more often traveled ( until, of course, someone takes the road less traveled from there, and happens upon something even better than the first improvement ; in that way, the cycle always repeats itself, and Wikipedia is continually made better ). This idea of taking the road less traveled, or doing things a separate way from the way they are usually done, while applicable to many aspects of life, is in particular applicable to Wikipedia. If one, as an editor, or even as a reader, happens across a way to do something, anything, more easily or in a better fashion that it is commonly or is always done, then one should probably take the road less traveled and give it a shot. If this is done, the person in question might leave a trail that will become the road more often traveled. However, this is not the general meaning of the whole poem. One could possibly pick out the meaning based on what he / she may already know or by using simple context clues to figure out the meaning. The road more often traveled Despite the obvious advantages of taking the road less traveled, there are certain times when taking this path is not always the best choice, and it might be better just to stick with the road more often traveled. Taking another road just to circumvent the road more often traveled, the road that policy is built on, is not constructive. Making the choice of which road to take can sometimes be hard, and is very dependent on the situation. One must assess the possible advantages, disadvantages and risks of taking either road, just as any real - life explorer or traveler would. Another school of thought suggests that the `` road less traveled '' is the harder, less attractive road. Most people will take the easier road. Most people search for the easier paths through life ; however, the easier paths are often the less eventful. Overcoming adversity generally advances us the most in our awareness and understanding of the world. It is very rare that a person would ever say they were willing to `` undo '' an experience, regardless of how difficult it was. The road less traveled brings us more experience, and more experience enables us to live more. The road less traveled can make all the difference. We ought not aspire to be as enlightened as a flea. Origin The phrase itself is a famous few lines extracted from `` The Road Not Taken '' by poet Robert Frost : `` Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth ; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear ; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day ! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence : Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. '' Ironically, the meaning of `` Taking the road less traveled '' is a misinterpretation of the poem which in the second and third stanzas describe the two roads being equally attractive. The poem therefore is reflecting on how we reconcile our decisions over time often giving more weight to the wisdom of our decisions than was true of the original circumstances. See also Be bold Ignore all rules What `` Ignore all rules '' means BOLD, revert, discuss cycle Jump up ^ https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/09/11/the-most-misread-poem-in-america/ Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Taking_the_road_less_traveled&oldid=806063076 '' Categories : Wikipedia essays Talk Project page Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 19 October 2017, at 12 : 49. About Wikipedia

Question: the road less traveled what does it mean
Answer: acting independently