Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken, is often misinterpreted.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
This last stanza of the poem, The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, is often quoted as an inspiration for independent thought and action, i.e. take the road less traveled.
In this sense, Frost is misinterpreted. In earlier stanzas he writes:
Then took the other, as just as fair
and later:
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
Frost is saying that both paths appeared identical. Just as many choices in life appear equal and we are unable to experience both, it is only after taking one that we may rationalize that we took the best.
See Mistakes Were Made (but not by me) for an explanation of cognitive dissonance, the phenomenon that explains this.
Interesting Trivia:
Frost's first published collection did not appear until he was almost forty years old.
Frost read his poem, The Gift Outright, at President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inauguration ceremony.
For more mind sharpening material see Mind & Attitude in the index.
Sources:
The Intellectual Devotional, David S. Kidder & Noah D. Oppenheim
On The Road Less Taken, by William Pritchard
