About this quote

Following someone should be a choice, not an automatic habit. Pause and check whether the route you're asked to take lines up with your values and goals. If it doesn't, step aside and pick a different way; that small decision keeps you responsible for the outcome. It takes courage to refuse easy conformity, but it prevents a lot of avoidable regret.

When to use it

• At the weekly staff meeting when the boss pushes a risky cut, I whispered the line to myself before I asked for the data.
• During my grad-advisor meeting when they suggested the safe topic, I said the quote out loud and chose the research I actually wanted.
• At a family dinner when relatives pressured me to join the business, I used the idea to explain I needed to decide my own career.
• When my coach wanted me to train through a recurring pain, I thought of the quote and told him I would follow a plan that kept me healthy.