“Observe both the things which come first and the things that follow; and then begin the act,” Epictetus wrote in his meditation on making wise decisions. This seems simple enough, yet many of us fail to heed the advice. Again, and again, and again we repeat the same mistakes, oblivious to our tendency to stand in our own way. Why does this happen and is there a way out? The great American poet Robert Frost (March 26, 1874–January 29, 1963) addressed this infinitely fascinating dilemma in “The Road Not Taken,” hailed as one of the most iconic and most misunderstood poems in American letters. Read here by the poet himself in his warm, aged voice. Enjoy!
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
by Robert FrostTwo 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.
Complement with The Road Not Taken: Finding America in the Poem Everyone Loves and Almost Everyone Gets Wrong by David Orr and then revisit Epictetus on making wise decisions.
I’m a freelance writer with 6 years of experience in SEO blogging and article publishing. I currently run two websites: MindfulSpot.com and OurReadingLife.com. While you’re here, get the latest updates by subscribing to my newsletter.
