100 Quotes About Following Your Own Path And Not The Crowd

Have you ever thought about following your own path?

The moment we arrive on this planet, we start being told what to do. No matter the conditions we grow up in, we pretty much know the path in front of us when we officially become adults. Often we don’t question whether or not it’s the right path for us, we just know this is what we are supposed to do in life.

In this post, I collected 100 inspirational quotes about following your own path from people who left their mark in various industries all over the world. These quotes will remind you about your passions, and emphasize the benefits of not following the crowd and making your own path instead. They will also give you the courage to follow the path you choose for yourself, even if it happens to be a difficult one.

That’s what all the famous people, and people in your field who you look up to, have in common. They choose to carve their own path, no matter what the odds of success are, and they don’t care what other people think.

They don’t want to just be one of the many, they want to be one of a kind. To feel special and make a difference in the world.

Even if you aren’t that ambitious and don’t aspire to change the world, these quotes should inspire you to do your own thing in life, something that lights you up, instead of going with an easier option someone else chose for you.

Let’s start with the 10 best quotes about following your own path!

Top 10 follow your own path quotes

Following your path may be scary, but it’s also exciting and fulfilling. These quotes are here to remind you that following your true self is the only path that leads to happiness.

1. Find what makes your heart sing and create your own music. – Mac Anderson

2. You were born with everything you need to answer the call of your soul. – Marie Forleo

3. Trust your own instincts, go inside, follow your heart. Right from the start. Go ahead and stand up for what you believe in. As I’ve learned, that’s the path to happiness. – Lesley Ann Warren

4. To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your path, and don’t worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest. Always do what you are afraid to do. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

5. Remember to follow your own true path, your way to the top, don’t let anyone stop you, not even a flop. – Ari Gunzburg

6. I may have let myself go without a safety net, but in my heart I knew the universe would catch me. – Mango Wodzak

7. The freedom of the open road is seductive, serendipitous and absolutely liberating. – Aaron Lauritsen

8. If you have a strong purpose in life, you don’t have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there. – Roy T. Bennett

9. When you choose intuitive living, you are signing a contract with the Soul and the Spirit that you will follow your own path. – Katalin Bator-Hos

10. If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress. – Barack Obama

Quotes about choosing your own path

So many of our lives are led by the rules someone else imposed on us. Whether it’s our parents, our society, our religion, our limiting beliefs, or something else completely, we follow those rules and limitations without ever questioning them. Whenever you are at an intersection in life, these quotes will support you in choosing the scary road to happiness and turning your back to an easy one that someone said you are supposed to walk.

11. When we are walking our chosen path, we walk elegantly, emanating light. – Paulo Coelho

12. Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. – Henry David Thoreau

13. Stop living someone else’s definition of happiness and start living your own. – David Paul Vosburg

14. There will always be an easy path and a right path. – J. K. Rowling

15. Your road is everything that a road ought to be… and yet you will not stay in it half a mile, for the reason that little, seductive, mysterious roads are always branching out from it on either hand, and as these curve sharply also and hide what is beyond, you cannot resist the temptation to desert your own chosen path and explore them. – Mark Twain

16. Follow your heart and all things will be done in accordance to the plan. Your heart will steer you in the right direction. – Beatrice Wynn Crum

17. Life is a web of intersections and choices. Your 1st choice is to recognize an intersection. Your 2nd choice is to be grateful for it. – Ryan Lilly

18. Even if you strive diligently on your chosen path day after day, if your heart is not in accord with it, then even if you think you are on a good path, from the point of view of the straight and true, this is not a genuine path. If you do not pursue a genuine path to its consummation, then a little bit of crookedness in the mind will later turn into a major warp. Reflect on this. – Miyamoto Musashi

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Quotes about following your passion

No two people are alike. We all have different things that light us up and make us excited. These quotes about following your passion are here to remind you who you are and support you in your journey to greatness.

19. Follow your passion, it will lead to your purpose. – Oprah Winfrey

20. You can’t do passion halfway. Living your passion means you’re all in. You trust your heart and trust your gut wherever that takes you. – Joe Plumeri

21. Your calling isn’t something that somebody can tell you about. It’s what you feel. It is the thing that gives you juice. The thing that you are supposed to do. And nobody can tell you what that is. You know it inside yourself. – Oprah Winfrey

22. When you don’t follow your passions, you grow angry and bitter. – Bert McCoy

23. Don’t ever allow yourself to feel trapped by your choices. Take a look at yourself. You are a unique person created for a specific purpose. Your gifts matter. Your story matters. Your dreams matter. You matter. – Michael Oher

24. Really try to follow what it is that you want to do and what your heart is telling you to do. – Jennifer Aniston

25. Don’t follow people, follow your passion. Find your passion, and you will find your people. – Jm Storm

26. Follow what you are genuinely passionate about and let that guide you to your destination. – Diane Sawyer

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Best find your path quotes to inspire you

It’s easy to go where everyone else goes. The problem with that road is that not only it’s too crowded (introvert here speaking) but it doesn’t necessarily lead to the life you want for yourself.

The earlier you realize what you really want and start carving your own path to that destination, the sooner you’ll get to a point of happiness and fulfillment in life. Here are my favorite inspirational quotes on finding your path to get you excited to maybe change your direction:

27. On this path let the heart be your guide. – Rumi

28. You must know in your heart before anyone else does what is going to be good and then follow through. – Bill Budge

29. To know how to choose a path with heart is to learn how to follow intuitive feeling. Logic can tell you superficially where a path might lead to, but it cannot judge whether your heart will be in it. – Jean Shinoda Bolen

30. Pursue what catches your heart, not what catches your eyes. – Roy T. Bennett

31. Never mind searching for who you are. Search for the person you aspire to be. – Robert Breault

32. Trust your heart and embrace the journey. You may make a wrong turn but your heart will get you back on the right path. Just keep making choices and don’t second guess yourself. – E’yen A. Gardner

33. If you are seeking the right path, you are already on the right path. – Yehuda Berg

34. Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost. – Erol Ozan

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Make your own path quotes

35. If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path. – Joseph Campbell

36. Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. – Maria Robinson

37. No one who loves the woods stays on the path. – Millie Florence

38. From my experience, the only thing you can do is take what’s written on the page and try, through your own curiosity and investigation, to make it your own and honor what the original intent was. – Colin Farrell

39. Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor. – Alexis Carrel

40. Don’t spend all your time trying to win over your critics. Just run your own race. – Joel Osteen

Quotes about doing your own thing

Let’s forget for a moment about all the things you should do in life and think about all the things you want to do. Ask yourself: are they really aligned? For most people, the answer is no. Doing your own thing might be difficult and uncertain but it’s always worth it in the end. Let these quotes be your inspiration to choose the right path and follow it no matter what!

41. Do your own thing with love and passion. You will be happy, no matter the result of your action. – Debasish Mridha

42. Pay attention to your calling and the world will pay attention to you. – Nicky Verd

43. Part of liberation is being free to do your own thing and letting everyone else be free to do theirs. – Christa Dickson

44. No use in trying to please everybody. No use in trying to please critics. Live under your own hat. Don’t be led away by those howls about realism. Remember – pinewoods are just as real as pigsties, and a darn sight pleasanter to be in. – Lucy Maud Montgomery

45. You have to figure out ways to do things on your own. I do my own thing, and I don’t pay much attention to what anyone else is doing. – Jerry Jeff Walker

46. Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive. – Howard Thurman

47. Don’t chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing and work hard. The right people – the ones who really belong in your life – will come to you. And stay. – Will Smith

48. Either you participate in the community like an adult or you leave and do your own thing. – Havoc Pennington

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Carving your own path quotes

All the most successful people have countless stories about their failures and life lessons that led to their success. Instant success is rare and even when you think some people had it easy, you don’t always know how long they walked that path or how many roadblocks they had to overcome before getting there.

Don’t judge others, don’t complain about the unfairness of life! Put a beautiful smile on your face and carve your own path! Let these quotes be your inspiration at times when life feels tough.

49. I have outgrown so much, I think at some point we all do ~ we reach a stage in our life where we are forced to make a change, forced to cut friendships, relationships, jobs and places we once called home. At the time, it all feels a little overwhelming nothing stays the same and you have to learn your footing again but I can reassure you once you create the path you wish to walk along, what you left behind won’t even matter. – Nikki Rowe

50. I can’t compete for likes and follows, I won’t win. What I will do is pour out my heart and allow love to reach those that need it. – E’yen A. Gardner

51. The road snakes south, then north, ultimately taking us east, and I wonder if life is like that. Go one way, then another, to end up someplace else. – Ellen Hopkins

52. You will never follow your own inner voice until you clear up the doubts in your mind. – Roy T. Bennett

53. There’s no path to success. Everyone constructs their own path. The important thing is to follow your heart. Find your niche, is my best advice. – Karol G

54. Your mind knows only some things. Your inner voice, your instinct, your heart knows everything. If you listen to what you know instinctively, it will always lead you down the right path. – Henry Winkler

55. The world accommodates you for fitting in, but only rewards you for standing out. – Matshona Dhliwayo

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Quotes about walking your own path

Finding your own path is one thing but conquering the fear and actually following it takes much more courage and dedication. Let these quotes about walking your own path give you daily motivation to stick to your chosen trail.

56. No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. – Buddha

57. When I have the courage to trust and follow the signs I receive, I am far happier than when I am hiding from or denying them. – Laurie E. Smith

58. If a lion turned every time small dogs barked at it, it would be the laughing stock of the jungle. – Matshona Dhliwayo

59. Walking is easy … but it requires faith to find the right path. – John Twelve Hawks

60. If you’re on the path you’re meant to be on, everything falls into place; the Universe is telling you that. If you are not on the right path, you will experience roadblocks all along the way, and this is also the Universe telling you to stop, look, and ask if this is where you are supposed to be. – James Van Praagh

61. Trust the timing of your life. Keep focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, be kind, and follow your heart. Doors will open effortlessly, but first, you have to be ready to walk through. – Brittany Burgunder

62. I realized that perseverance and step-by-step progress are the only ways to reach a goal along a chosen path. – Mas Oyama

63. Throughout this journey of life we meet many people along the way. Each one has a purpose in our life. No one we meet is ever a coincidence. – Mimi Novic

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Quotes about following the crowd

These quotes talk about following the crowd blindly and losing sight of your own big dreams in the process.

64. Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you. – Margaret Thatcher

65. If you follow the herd, people may mistake you for a cow. – Matshona Dhliwayo

66. Don’t follow a trend. Follow your heart. – Krist Novoselic

67. I pay no attention whatever to anybody’s praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings. – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

68. When you follow your heart, you should have no regrets. When you follow someone else’s, those regrets may lose your heart. – Unknown

69. A charming woman… doesn’t follow the crowd. She is herself. – Loretta Young

70. We spend our lives asking the question, ‘What do people want me to do? Who do they want me to be?’ But this is a betrayal of our inner truth. We should be investing our lives in the pursuit of discovering who we are and what we were created to do. – Elizabeth Grace Saunders

71. If you’re not on the right path, get off it. – Chris Brogan

72. A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. – Max Lucado

Quotes about not following the crowd

Following your own path requires you to be honest with yourself and be ready to step away from the familiar group onto your own path. Even though it might feel lonely at first, if you are true to yourself and don’t just follow the crowd, you’ll find incredible like-minded people along the way and build deeply fulfilling connections for life.

73. Wanting to be somebody is rather vague, being yourself is quite specific. – Amit Kalantri

74. In every family, culture, or religion, ideas of right and wrong are the hot cattle prods, the barking sheepdogs that keep the masses in the herd. They are the bars that keep us caged. I decided that if I kept doing the “right” thing, I would spend my life following someone else’s directions instead of my own. I didn’t want to live my life without living my life. I wanted to make my own decision as a free woman, from my soul. – Glennon Doyle

75. Just because everyone else does, it doesn’t mean you have to. Break the repetitive cycle and excel beyond the norm. – Torron-Lee Dewar

76. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. – Steve Jobs

77. After you fail, which I have, you can either choose to crumble and retreat and become nonfunctional, which I’ve seen happen, or you can just become a lone wolf, forget about the cool kids and just continue to do your own thing. – Diablo Cody

78. Follow your heart and make it your decision. – Mia Hamm

79. Everyone wants to belong, or be a part of something bigger than themselves, but it’s important to follow your heart and be true to yourself in the process. – Emily Giffin

80. Don’t be something you are not and always follow your heart. – Zack Stojkovic

Create your own path quotes

Every good thing we now have in life never existed before someone created it. All the inventors had experienced being made fun of and people calling them crazy for believing in their ideas but they never let those naysayers or their own self-doubt put out the inner fire. These quotes talk about creating your own path, even if it doesn’t exist yet and you have to pave it step by step.

81. The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it. – Kalpana Chawla

82. It was only when I started to be myself that the music started to flow and people started to listen. – Sam Smith

83. Focus first on where you want to be, and why, and then on the right path to get there. – Mark Halperin

84. When choosing what you want to do with your life, don’t do what you think you will be highly rewarded for. Chose what you will be willing to do even when you are not rewarded for it. That is a secret for living a fulfilling life. – Omony Geoffrey Ocaya

85. If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality. – Dr. Roopleen

86. A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one’s own path, not chasing after the dreams of others. – Chin-Ning Chu

87. That’s the way things come clear. All of a sudden. And then you realize how obvious they’ve been all along. – Madeleine L’Engle

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

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Choosing the difficult path quotes

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. You have your dreams for a reason, and you have the power to make them come true. If choosing the difficult path is what you need to do to achieve the life of your dreams, may these quotes give you the strength to do it!

89. If you follow your heart, it may be more difficult, sure; but, in the long run, the results will be a blessing to you and to others as well. – Scott E. Kauffman

90. Without struggle, success has no value. – Aaron Lauritsen

91. You either live the life that is easy or you live the life that is difficult, but appreciate it more. – Shannon L. Alder

92. I have not always chosen the safest path. I’ve made my mistakes, plenty of them. I sometimes jump too soon and fail to appreciate the consequences. But I’ve learned something important along the way: I’ve learned to heed the call of my heart. I’ve learned that the safest path is not always the best path and I’ve learned that the voice of fear is not always to be trusted. – Steve Goodier

93. If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. – Frank A. Clark

94. How wrong we are to ignore our hearts to follow the familiar path. – Nikki Rowe

95. Goals are only ever a guide; a winding, changing path. It’s your heart that will really keep you on track… and nourished along the way. – Rasheed Ogunlaru

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More quotes about following your own path

96. All I can tell you really is if you get to the point where someone is telling you that you are not great or not good enough, just follow your heart and don’t let anybody crush your dream. – Patti LaBelle

97. People who are rooted in the here and now, who are not defeated by their limitations, who don’t compare themselves to others, who confidently advance along their chosen path – such people are happy, such people are truly great. – Daisaku Ikeda

98. Do something because you feel like you want to, not because you feel you have to. Let that motivate you to do it well. Allow it to give you a sense of pride and accomplishment. Let it make your life seem more meaningful. Derive a greater sense of satisfaction out of life. Feel more presence in the moment. Feel empowered. Be at peace. – Akiroq Brost

99. There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. – Nelson Mandela

100. Sometimes the right path is not always the easiest. – Pocahontas

Final thoughts on following your own path

These were my 100 quotes on finding your own path and following it. I hope they inspired you to work on your dreams and do your own thing, even if it’s difficult and unfamiliar.

Share with me in the comments what is this thing you always wanted to do but sacrificed in favor of other things you were supposed to do?