--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Where no paths exist, a man strays only…" description: "\"Where no paths exist, a man strays only when he misses his destination. There is no crime, no transgression, no sin save foolishness or incompetence, a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ae/r-scott-bakker-4344_crime_where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-w_2992194.png" --- # Where no paths exist, a man strays only when he misses his… ![“Where no paths exist, a man strays only when he misses his destination. There is no crime, no transgression, no sin save foolishness or incompetence, and no obscenity save the tyranny of custom.” quote by R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ae/r-scott-bakker-4344_crime_where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-w_2992194.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ae/r-scott-bakker-4344_crime_where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-w_2992194.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ae/r-scott-bakker-4344_crime_where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-w_2992194.png) > “Where no paths exist, a man strays only when he misses his destination. There is no crime, no transgression, no sin save foolishness or incompetence, and no obscenity save the tyranny of custom.” [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When no clear path exists, a person deviates only by missing their goal; errors stem from foolishness or custom, not moral transgression. **In simple terms:** Lack of direction leads to error. Key Takeaway Seek clear purpose. Themes philosophy error custom direction Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - career planning - ethical decision‑making - creative writing Key Concepts Existentialism critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What defines your true destination? - How do you balance tradition with personal goals? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on direction can ignore flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) [Exist Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-man-382213/) [Foolishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolishness/) [Incompetence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetence/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Man Strays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-strays-4707655/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Misses Destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misses-destination-4707656/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Obscenity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscenity/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Paths Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paths-exist-391821/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Strays Misses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strays-misses-4707657/) [Transgression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transgression/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) ## Related quotes > [There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/there-is-no-royal-path-to-good-writing-and-such-paths-as-exist-do-not/) [Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/) > [Once a man strays out of the common herd, he's more likely to meet wolves in the thickets than angels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-de-la-mare/once-a-man-strays-out-of-the-common-herd-he-s-more-likely-to-meet/) [Walter de La Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-de-la-mare/) > [ “if \[God\] doesn't exist, man is the chief of the earth, of the universe. Magnificent! Only how is he going to be good without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/if-god-doesn-t-exist-man-is-the-chief-of-the-earth-of-the-universe/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [In order to exist, man must rebel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/in-order-to-exist-man-must-rebel/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-yves-cousteau/the-happiness-of-the-bee-and-the-dolphin-is-to-exist-for-man-it-is-to/) [Jacques Yves Cousteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-yves-cousteau/) > [“There are two godheads: the world and my independent I. I am either happy or unhappy, that is all. It can be said: good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/there-are-two-godheads-the-world-and-my-independent-i-i-am-either/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [“We often exist in no man’s land; between the extremities of what we want to be and what we have become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/we-often-exist-in-no-man-s-land-between-the-extremities-of-what-we/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) > [If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone, would the human race continue to exist? Would not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/if-children-were-brought-into-the-world-by-an-act-of-pure-reason/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [All is one, all is different. How many natures exist in man? How many vocations? And by what chance does each man ordinarily choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/all-is-one-all-is-different-how-many-natures-exist-in-man-how-many/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [There does not exist a man sufficiently intelligent never to be tiresome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/there-does-not-exist-a-man-sufficiently-intelligent-never-to-be/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Liberty in thought and action is the only condition of life, growth and well-being: Where it does not exist, the man, the race, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/liberty-in-thought-and-action-is-the-only-condition-of-life-growth/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [We believe that marriage, by its very definition, can exist only between a man and a woman. Moreover, study after study - not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvatore-j-cordileone/we-believe-that-marriage-by-its-very-definition-can-exist-only/) [Salvatore J. Cordileone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvatore-j-cordileone/) > [“It's the truth, even if it didn't happen... ...if they don't exist, how can a man see them?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/it-s-the-truth-even-if-it-didn-t-happen-if-they-don-t-exist-how-can-a/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The bonds between ourselves and another person exists only in our minds. Memory as it grows fainter loosens them, and notwithstanding the illusion by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-bonds-between-ourselves-and-another-person-exists-only-in-our/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [It's not enough merely to exist. Every man has to seek in his own way to make his own self more noble and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-enough-merely-to-exist-every-man-has-to-seek-in-his-own-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by R. Scott Bakker > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Everyone thinks they've won the Magical Belief Lottery. Everyone thinks they more or less have a handle on things, that they, as opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/everyone-thinks-they-ve-won-the-magical-belief-lottery-everyone/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [I tell you, guilt dwells nowhere but in the eyes of the accuser. This men know even as they deny it, which is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/i-tell-you-guilt-dwells-nowhere-but-in-the-eyes-of-the-accuser-this/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“When a man possesses the innocence of a child, we call him a fool. When a child possesses the cunning of a man, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/when-a-man-possesses-the-innocence-of-a-child-we-call-him-a-fool-when/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor ... ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/i-am-a-warrior-of-ages-anasurimbor-ages-i-have-dipped-my-nimil-in-a/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“The vulgar think the God by analogy to man and so worship Him in the form of the Gods. The learned think the God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/the-vulgar-think-the-god-by-analogy-to-man-and-so-worship-him-in-the/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [There was such a difference, he thought, between the beauty that illuminated, and the beauty that was illuminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/there-was-such-a-difference-he-thought-between-the-beauty-that/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Complexity begets ambiguity, which yields in all ways to prejudice and avarice. Complication does not so much defeat Men as arm them with fancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/complexity-begets-ambiguity-which-yields-in-all-ways-to-prejudice-and/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“Sorweel: „Then how can we hope to resist him?“ Harweel: „With our swords and our shields. And when those fail us, with spit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/sorweel-then-how-can-we-hope-to-resist-him-harweel-with-our-swords/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“He struck his own fire, listened to the night wind roar through the trees. Sometimes, when he could see it, he stared at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/he-struck-his-own-fire-listened-to-the-night-wind-roar-through-the/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“That hope is little more than the premonition of regret. This is the first lesson of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/that-hope-is-little-more-than-the-premonition-of-regret-this-is-the/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“For all things there is a toll. We pay in breaths, and our purse is soon empty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/for-all-things-there-is-a-toll-we-pay-in-breaths-and-our-purse-is/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [I wanted a literate, socially intricate, and cosmopolitan world - something I could have fun destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/i-wanted-a-literate-socially-intricate-and-cosmopolitan-world/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“Only madmen and historians, he said, believe their lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/only-madmen-and-historians-he-said-believe-their-lies/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [“Sleep, when deep enough, is indistinguishable from vigilance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/sleep-when-deep-enough-is-indistinguishable-from-vigilance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) [Explore all 110 R. Scott Bakker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/) [Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/) > [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too much virtue can be criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/too-much-virtue-can-be-criminal/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/) [Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/) > [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/) [Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/) [Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Where no paths exist, a man strays only when he misses his destination. There is no crime, no transgression, no sin save foolishness or incompetence, and no obscenity save the tyranny of custom.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R. Scott Bakker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-when-he-misses-his-destination/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crime" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-when-he-misses-his-destination/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ae/r-scott-bakker-4344_crime_where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-w_2992194.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ae/r-scott-bakker-4344_crime_where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-w_2992194.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ae/r-scott-bakker-4344_crime_where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-w_2992194.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Where no paths exist, a man strays only when he misses his destination. There is no crime, no transgression…” — R. Scott Bakker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "R. Scott Bakker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Where no paths exist, a man...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-when-he-misses-his-destination/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/where-no-paths-exist-a-man-strays-only-when-he-misses-his-destination/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```