- Antonio Machado
Antonio Machado was a Spanish poet born in 1875 and was part of the Spanish literary movement "Generation of '98" (1898 obviously, not 1998). His quote actually comes from one of his poems in his series Proverbios y Cantares:
"Wanderer, your footsteps are
the road, and nothing more;
wanderer, there is no road,
the road is made by walking."
(Translated text obtained from Wikipedia, and the original Proverbios in Spanish can be viewed here.)
The Generation of '98 movement was marked with frustration with Spanish politics and society. This was against the backdrop of the revolution against the Spanish monarchy in 1868 to 1873, followed by the short-lived First Spanish Republic, and the Restoration of a constitutional monarchy in 1874 (which the Generation opposed). They advocated a return to old Spanish ideals and the development of intellectual thought outside of politics.
People are often pushed to blaze new trails by a cause, a message that they wish to send to everyone else. Most of us living in the Internet-age, in a first-world country, we want to do that. Everyone wants to make something of themselves, wants to push the boundaries, etc. Because we are now in positions with means and opportunities available to us. Yet most of us are also afraid to stray beyond our comfort zone - because after all, most of us were born in comfort. I think the biggest challenge for our generation is learning to take a risk and stray from the paths already marked out for us.
