I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.

The speaker rejects conventional, pre-marked routes (“where the path may lead”) in favor of self-directed exploration and originality (“where there is no path”). The second clause—“leave a trail”—shifts the idea from private rebellion to public consequence: the act of forging one’s own way becomes a model or opening for others. The quote is often used to celebrate creativity, pioneering leadership, and nonconformity, but it also implies responsibility: making a new way can reshape what later travelers consider possible or permissible. Its appeal lies in combining individual autonomy with a legacy-minded sense of influence.