The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Full Text

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.

Overview

Often misread as celebrating individualism, Frost intended irony—the speaker admits both paths were "really about the same."

Line-by-Line Analysis

Lines 1-5

The speaker faces a choice between two paths in autumn woods, symbolizing life decisions.

Themes

• Choice
• Individualism
• Regret
• Self-deception
• The passage of time

Literary Devices

Extended metaphor

The diverging roads — Life choices represented as a fork in the path.

Irony

I took the one less traveled by — The speaker earlier admits both paths were worn "really about the same."

Historical Context

Written for Frost's friend Edward Thomas, gently mocking his indecisiveness on their walks.