--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ahead of them lay an expressway access…" description: "\"“Ahead of them lay an expressway access road. Except that there were no guardrails or markings. No road signs either. And no other vehicles at all. Yet..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/kai-meyer-11122_end-of-the-world_ahead-of-them-lay-an-expressway-access-r_2952088.jpg" --- # Ahead of them lay an expressway access road. Except that… ![“Ahead of them lay an expressway access road. Except that there were no guardrails or markings. No road signs either. And no other vehicles at all. Yet the road, following a narrow curve, led to a broad ribbon of asphalt tracing a straight line all the way to the horizon. Again, it had no lines…” quote by Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/kai-meyer-11122_end-of-the-world_ahead-of-them-lay-an-expressway-access-r_2952088.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/kai-meyer-11122_end-of-the-world_ahead-of-them-lay-an-expressway-access-r_2952088.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/kai-meyer-11122_end-of-the-world_ahead-of-them-lay-an-expressway-access-r_2952088.jpg) > ““Ahead of them lay an expressway access road. Except that there were no guardrails or markings. No road signs either. And no other vehicles at all. Yet the road, following a narrow curve, led to a broad ribbon of asphalt tracing a straight line all the way to the horizon. Again, it had no lines painted on it and there were no signs. Rosa thought there would have been space for four traffic lanes on it, but it was covered with the dust and loose soil that had blown over it. No other sign of life. Just the two of them, the car, and a forgotten road to nowhere. “Where does it go?” “To the end of the world.”” [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An unmarked, endless road symbolizes life's unknown path, inviting curiosity despite lack of guidance. **In simple terms:** Life’s path is unknown and inviting. Key Takeaway Explore the unknown boldly. Themes journey unknown curiosity Mood mysterious contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - travel - personal growth - adventure - spiritual seeking Key Concepts existentialism literature Questions to Reflect On - What does the road represent for you? - How do you navigate uncertainty? A Different Perspective Lack of direction can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Straight line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-line/) ## Related quotes > [“I passed under an arch out of that region of slabs and columns, and wandered through the open country; sometimes following the visible road,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/i-passed-under-an-arch-out-of-that-region-of-slabs-and-columns-and/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [A beautiful road does not create enough reason to make a journey on that road, because the road to Hell is often a beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-beautiful-road-does-not-create-enough-reason-to-make-a-journey-on/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The road does not always bring out the best in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patterson-hood/the-road-does-not-always-bring-out-the-best-in-people/) [Patterson Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patterson-hood/) > [“Yes yes yes, there it was. Youth must go, ah yes. But youth is only being in a way like it might be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/yes-yes-yes-there-it-was-youth-must-go-ah-yes-but-youth-is-only-being/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [How hard can it be to walk up and down in a straight line? You just need to put one step in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edie-campbell/how-hard-can-it-be-to-walk-up-and-down-in-a-straight-line-you-just/) [Edie Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edie-campbell/) > [The song of the curved line is called happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-crevel/the-song-of-the-curved-line-is-called-happiness/) [Rene Crevel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-crevel/) > [“Finally, every society develops a system of aesthetic standards that get manifested in everything from decorative art, music, and dance to the architecture and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livermore/finally-every-society-develops-a-system-of-aesthetic-standards-that/) [David Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livermore/) > [A circle is a round straight line with a hole in the middle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-circle-is-a-round-straight-line-with-a-hole-in-the-middle/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“A line only gets grace when it curves, you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/a-line-only-gets-grace-when-it-curves-you-know/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [“A body needs at least three points of support, not in a straight line, to fix its position, so Roithamer had written.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/a-body-needs-at-least-three-points-of-support-not-in-a-straight-line/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) > [“Do More. Be More. You were made for more! Take all the chances and leaps. Every single step of the journey is a maze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinonye-j-chidolue/do-more-be-more-you-were-made-for-more-take-all-the-chances-and-leaps/) [Chinonye J. Chidolue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinonye-j-chidolue/) > [In philosophy, as in politics, the longest distance between two points is a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/in-philosophy-as-in-politics-the-longest-distance-between-two-points/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“I'd watch his smooth chest rise and fall with each steady breath, I'd watch the pulsating of his stomach when he laughed, and I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-newell/i-d-watch-his-smooth-chest-rise-and-fall-with-each-steady-breath-i-d/) [Ashley Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-newell/) > [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [“he could yet make a case for a straight line from Nixon to Trump.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-could-yet-make-a-case-for-a-straight-line-from-nixon-to-trump/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) ## More by Kai Meyer > [“She slowly turned her head and looked at him. At his attractive, open face that could turn dark and reserved within seconds. The curve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/she-slowly-turned-her-head-and-looked-at-him-at-his-attractive-open/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Honesty is the most beautiful gift a person can give to another at the beginning of a friendship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/honesty-is-the-most-beautiful-gift-a-person-can-give-to-another-at/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [ “If they \[won\], it would only be because they didn't forget what they were. Who they were. And that it was worth it to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/if-they-won-it-would-only-be-because-they-didn-t-forget-what-they/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Clearly we have all the time in the world,” she said crossly. “Feel free to start way back with the dinosaurs—just as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/clearly-we-have-all-the-time-in-the-world-she-said-crossly-feel-free/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Das ist so ziemlich alles außer Geschirrspülen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/das-ist-so-ziemlich-alles-au-er-geschirrsp-len/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“If we were scars, our memories would be the stitches holding us together. You couldn't cut them apart, and if you did, it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/if-we-were-scars-our-memories-would-be-the-stitches-holding-us/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Most are on the search for their center their entire life long, for the axis of their world, but only the fewest are aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/most-are-on-the-search-for-their-center-their-entire-life-long-for/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Hört auf zu streiten, oder ich tue so, als ob ich in Ohnmacht falle. Vielleicht schreie ich auch ein bisschen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/h-rt-auf-zu-streiten-oder-ich-tue-so-als-ob-ich-in-ohnmacht-falle/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“He clasped her fingers, not so she could pull him up but clearly because he wanted to touch them. She wanted it too, way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/he-clasped-her-fingers-not-so-she-could-pull-him-up-but-clearly/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Other girls carried tasers or pepper spray for safety. Rosa had bought herself a stapler in a hardware store on the corner of Baltic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/other-girls-carried-tasers-or-pepper-spray-for-safety-rosa-had-bought/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Divinity is only in the eye of the beholder”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/divinity-is-only-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Sometimes,” she said, “two people pass each other by, look into each other’s eyes for a moment, and all that’s left is a wish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/sometimes-she-said-two-people-pass-each-other-by-look-into-each-other/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Jolly felt salty tears on her lips, and for the first time in her life it occurred to her that sorrow tasted exactly like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/jolly-felt-salty-tears-on-her-lips-and-for-the-first-time-in-her-life/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“You just have to look hard. Then you’ll find what you’re after.” It sounded almost as if he were trying to help her in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/you-just-have-to-look-hard-then-you-ll-find-what-you-re-after-it/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [“Did I promise you too much?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/did-i-promise-you-too-much/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) [Explore all 32 Kai Meyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) ## More End of the world quotes > [“Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-tarde/is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth-is-not-infinite-and-that-our/) Gabriel Tarde > [“Will this generation be able to turn things around and learn a valuable lesson from all of this? I hope so, but I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-b-powell/will-this-generation-be-able-to-turn-things-around-and-learn-a/) [Aaron B. Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-b-powell/) > [The end of the world is on people's minds. We have the power to destroy or save ourselves, but the question is what do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/the-end-of-the-world-is-on-people-s-minds-we-have-the-power-to/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [People always wonder when the world is going to end. I believe that the world will end when everyone stops loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-fickes/people-always-wonder-when-the-world-is-going-to-end-i-believe-that/) [Nichole Fickes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-fickes/) > [End-of-the-world stories tend to ring true. I've always been drawn to them, but as I wrote my own, I found surprising pleasure in creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/end-of-the-world-stories-tend-to-ring-true-i-ve-always-been-drawn-to/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [The end of the world begins the moment you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-end-of-the-world-begins-the-moment-you-die/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [When I come home from work, if I just played a really good game and I'm on top of the world, I think changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-cousins/when-i-come-home-from-work-if-i-just-played-a-really-good-game-and-i/) [Kirk Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-cousins/) > [When I wrote 'The Good Body,' I turned 40 and suddenly had this stomach. It seemed like the end of the world. Because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/when-i-wrote-the-good-body-i-turned-40-and-suddenly-had-this-stomach/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [“Even my Buddhist friends have been feeling despair and when they go bad, you know the end is nigh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/even-my-buddhist-friends-have-been-feeling-despair-and-when-they-go/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Let the end of the world be inside you, then you don't need to fear the end of the world out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/let-the-end-of-the-world-be-inside-you-then-you-don-t-need-to-fear/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [The planets survival has become so uncertain that any effort, any thought that presupposes an assured future amounts to a mad gamble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/the-planets-survival-has-become-so-uncertain-that-any-effort-any/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [Listen, we've drafted guys that wouldn't come in for workouts before. It's not the end of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-ainge/listen-we-ve-drafted-guys-that-wouldn-t-come-in-for-workouts-before/) [Danny Ainge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-ainge/) > [There was one part of my life where I would go out every night. Ha-ha, if I missed going out to the club, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-electra/there-was-one-part-of-my-life-where-i-would-go-out-every-night-ha-ha/) [Carmen Electra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-electra/) > [Oh my gosh, I'd give so much advice to a younger version of myself. I would say it really does get better as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/oh-my-gosh-i-d-give-so-much-advice-to-a-younger-version-of-myself-i/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) [Browse all 976 End of the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ahead of them lay an expressway access road. Except that there were no guardrails or markings. No road signs either. And no other vehicles at all. Yet the road, following a narrow curve, led to a broad ribbon of asphalt tracing a straight line all the way to the horizon. Again, it had no lines painted on it and there were no signs. Rosa thought there would have been space for four traffic lanes on it, but it was covered with the dust and loose soil that had blown over it. No other sign of life. 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