Lessons › Steve Jobs | Connect the Dots › The well-worn path

"The well-worn path"

B2 Identity & Self

Definition

The safe, familiar route that most people take. A conventional, expected life choice.

How to use it

"Well-worn" means used many times. In life contexts, it refers to traditional choices: good grades, a safe job, a steady income. Jobs says real creativity begins when you step off it.

Examples

► "He left the well-worn path of law school to open a small bakery, and never looked back."

► "Not everyone who follows the well-worn path is happy, and not everyone who leaves it fails."