Fork in the road (metaphor)

Knight at the Crossroads, Viktor Vasnetsov

A fork in the road is a metaphor, based on a literal expression, for a deciding moment in life or history when a choice between presented options is required, and, once made, the choice cannot be reversed. ^[1]

Examples

• There is a common motif in Russian folk tales, where a vityaz (Russian knight) comes to a fork in the road and sees a menhir with an inscription that reads: "If you ride to the left, you will lose your horse, if you ride to the right, you will lose your head".
• The phrase appears in the Book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 21:19–23 NRSV).

"Mortal, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them shall issue from the same land. And make a signpost, make it for a fork in the road leading to a city; mark out the road for the sword to come to Rabbah of the Ammonites or to Judah and to Jerusalem the fortified.

• A fork in the road is mused upon by Robert Frost in his poem "The Road Not Taken", which begins, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..." ^[2]
• Malapropist extraordinaire Yogi Berra's saying "When you come to a fork in the road, take it" made the title of his book When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!: Inspiration and Wisdom From One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes.
• It is also depicted in the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland where Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in the tree.
• The album cover of A Nice Pair includes a literal depiction of a fork in the road, a visual pun on the expression..
• During the inauguration of Donald J Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America on January 20, 2025, Elon Musk said in his controversial speech "This was a fork in the road in human civilization." ^[3] On January 28, the Trump administration Office of Personnel Management sent an email titled "Fork in the Road" to over 2 million federal employees that essentially offered them 8 months salary if they would quit. The email was similar to a same titled email Musk sent to all Twitter employees when he took over that company. ^[4]

See also

• Crossroads (culture)
• Fork in the road (disambiguation) (for other meanings of Fork in the road)
• Road junction
• Point of no return

References

1. Kovecses, Zoltan (12 February 2010). Metaphor: A Practical Introduction. Oxford University Press. p. 131. ISBN   9780199705313.
2. Robinson, Katherine (27 May 2016). "Robert Frost: "The Road Not Taken"". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
3. Timmons, Heather; Brice, Makini; Chambers, Madeline; Singh, Kanishka (January 21, 2025). "Musk's hand gesture during Trump inauguration festivities draws scrutiny". Reuters . Retrieved 4 February 2025.
4. Bednar, Nick (30 January 2025). "Breaking Down OPM's 'Fork in the Road' Email to Federal Workers". Lawfare . Retrieved 17 February 2025.