No one goes on a direct path, even though it sometimes feels like

Hear the wise words of Sal Khan, teacher to millions and builder of a new temple of learning: “No one goes on a direct path, even though it sometimes feels like your peers might be racing ahead. Everyone’s trying to figure it out. But if you just put yourself out there, step out of your comfort zone, establish yourself in terms of skills, mentorship, but leave space for your passions, then you’re going to turn out pretty well.” These words, though framed for the modern student, carry the same eternal rhythm that has guided seekers throughout history. They remind us that the journey of life is not a straight road, but a winding path filled with detours, trials, and opportunities for growth.

The meaning shines in the image of the direct path—that imagined road where success is swift, clear, and without struggle. Many compare themselves to others, seeing their peers run ahead, and they despair, thinking they are left behind. Yet Khan unmasks this illusion: no one truly walks a direct path. The appearance of speed is not always the same as wisdom, and the race of life is not won by haste, but by steady endurance and faithful steps. What seems like delay is often preparation, and what feels like failure is often the shaping of unseen strength.

The origin of these words rests in Khan’s own life. Once a hedge fund analyst, he found his true calling not in finance but in teaching, beginning humbly by tutoring his cousins with simple videos. His path was anything but direct—yet through detours and risks, he founded Khan Academy, which today brings knowledge to millions across the globe. His story proves his teaching: by leaving space for passion, by stepping out of the familiar, by cultivating skills and finding wise mentorship, one can transform a crooked road into a destiny of meaning.

History, too, offers echoes of this truth. Consider Abraham Lincoln, whose early life was filled with business failures, electoral defeats, and personal sorrow. To the eye of the impatient, his peers seemed to surge ahead while he faltered. Yet Lincoln, persevering on a crooked road, became the leader who would preserve a nation in its darkest hour. Or think of Marie Curie, who struggled in poverty and rejection before her passion for science lit the path that earned her two Nobel Prizes. Their journeys were not straight, yet they were true.

Khan’s counsel also teaches us balance. To establish oneself in skills and seek mentorship is to anchor one’s journey in discipline and wisdom. But to leave space for passion is to ensure the journey has soul, that life is not only useful but also joyful. For the path that is only skills without passion becomes a prison, and the path that is only passion without skills becomes a dream without roots. Harmony between the two is the secret of turning out “pretty well,” as Khan humbly declares.

The lesson for us is powerful: do not measure yourself against the race of others. Instead, honor your own crooked path, for it is shaping you in ways unseen. Do not fear to stumble, for each stumble may be a stone that strengthens your stride. Seek teachers who will guide you, build the tools of skill that will steady your hands, but never silence the fire of your heart’s passion. For in the weaving of skill and passion, the crooked path becomes the path of destiny.

Practical action flows clearly from this teaching. Step out of your comfort zone—dare to try, even when you fear failure. Seek out wise mentors, not only for what they teach you, but for how they shape your spirit. Practice your skills daily, with discipline and patience. And guard space in your life for the pursuits that bring you alive, for these passions will sustain you when all else feels heavy. In time, you will see that your winding road has led you not astray, but exactly where you were meant to be.

Take this as a guiding flame: no life moves in a direct path. The crooked way, the delayed start, the hidden detour—these are not obstacles but the very shape of the journey. Trust your road, walk with courage, and remember Sal Khan’s wisdom: if you put yourself out there, learn, grow, and keep alive your passion, you will indeed “turn out pretty well.”