Song of the Open Road Life, Consciousness, and Existence Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #7

Forever alive, forever forward,
Stately, solemn, sad, withdrawn, baffled, mad, turbulent, feeble, dissatisfied,
Desperate, proud, fond, sick, accepted by men, rejected by men,
They go! they go! I know that they go, but I know not where they go;
But I know that they go toward the best—toward something great. (190-194)

We think it's actually kind of great that the speaker has no idea where the Soul highway leads. That kind of certainty—whether it comes in the form of philosophy or religion—is usually a total dead-end. Just like the cliché says, it's not about the destination. We're travelers, all of us, so just embrace the journey.