I never really look back. My journey has been unorthodox in many

Hear the words of Ed Skrein, spoken with the voice of one who has walked a path not carved for him but made by his own steps: “I never really look back. My journey has been unorthodox in many ways. All I do is count my blessings and try to be as present as I can, and I’m thankful for every step of this journey.” In these words we hear the echo of ancient wisdom, the testimony of a soul that has embraced the crooked roads of life not with bitterness, but with gratitude. For the path may twist and break, but each stone beneath the feet becomes part of the greater story.

The ancients spoke often of the journey, for life itself was seen as a voyage. Odysseus wandered ten years across seas and storms, yet in his trials he grew wise, cunning, and patient. His way was unorthodox, filled with delays and detours, yet it forged in him a strength the straight road could never give. So too does Skrein confess: his path has not followed the patterns expected by others, but it has shaped him into who he is. To reject the unorthodox road would be to reject his own becoming.

“I never really look back,” he says, not because memory is useless, but because dwelling in the past binds the spirit. The ancient Stoics taught that we cannot change yesterday, nor command tomorrow, but only rule over this breath, this heartbeat, this moment. Skrein’s wisdom reflects this truth: to remain present is to live fully. To chain oneself to regrets or to longing for what might have been is to waste the blessing of now. He instead keeps his eyes fixed forward, upon the horizon of what is yet to be.

Yet his words are not hardened by stoicism alone—they are softened by thankfulness. He does not speak with arrogance of his endurance, but with humility: “All I do is count my blessings.” This is the mark of a noble soul, one who knows that each step forward is not earned alone but given, whether by fortune, by fate, or by unseen hands guiding him. Gratitude is the lamp that lights his unorthodox road, preventing him from stumbling into despair. Without it, the crooked journey would seem a curse; with it, the journey becomes a treasure.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, who endured decades in prison, stripped of freedom and condemned to a path most would call unjust. Yet he did not waste his years in resentment. He used them to grow in patience, in wisdom, in vision. When he emerged, he did not look back in bitterness but forward in purpose. His journey too was unorthodox, yet every painful step prepared him to unite a nation. He was thankful even for the struggle, for it forged the leader he was meant to be. Skrein’s words, though born of art and performance, belong to the same lineage of wisdom.

The lesson is this: do not despise the crookedness of your journey. Do not look with envy at those who walk the straight path, nor drown in regret when your road bends in ways you did not plan. Instead, remain present, count your blessings, and walk with a thankful heart. For every step, whether smooth or broken, teaches, shapes, and prepares you for what lies ahead. The unorthodox way is often the way of greatness, for it is in hardship and surprise that the soul is tempered.

Practical wisdom calls you to action: when you face detours, do not curse them. Ask instead, “What lesson does this step hold?” Each night, reflect on your blessings, naming them aloud so that your heart remains rooted in gratitude. When you feel the pull of regret or fear, return to the breath, to the present, and remember that the only place where life may be lived is here and now. In this way, your journey—whether straight or crooked—will become sacred.

Thus let Ed Skrein’s words be preserved as teaching: that life is not meant to follow a single script, but to unfold in ways beyond expectation. The wise do not cling to the past, nor demand that the road be straight. They walk with a thankful heart, eyes fixed on the present, and in every step, they discover the blessing of simply continuing the journey.