Do not go where the path may lead; go where there is no path and leave a trail

Meaning: True innovation and leadership mean forging your own way rather than following the crowd.

Origin: Ralph Waldo Emerson, American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist, 19th century.

Translations

• French: N'allez pas là où le chemin mène ; allez là où il n'y a pas de chemin et laissez une trace (literally: Don't go where the path leads; go where there is no path and leave a trail)
• Spanish: No vayas donde el camino lleva; ve donde no hay camino y deja una huella (literally: Don't go where the path leads; go where there is no path and leave a trail)
• Japanese: 道のあるところに行くな。道のないところへ行って痕跡を残せ (Michi no aru tokoro ni iku na. Michi no nai tokoro e itte konseki wo nokose) (literally: Don't go where there is a path. Go where there is no path and leave a trace)

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