{"title":"Muriel Strode","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1903, a poet named Muriel Strode published a poem called \"Wind-Wafted Wild Flowers\" in \u003cem\u003eThe Open Court\u003c\/em\u003e — a journal of philosophy and science, not a literary magazine, not a place that launched reputations. One line from that poem went on to circulate for over a century without her name attached to it: \u003cem\u003eI will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eFull name: Muriel Strode Lieberman (after her marriage)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eBorn: c. 1875, Illinois (sources vary)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eDied: 1964\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eEra: early 20th century American poetry; philosophical and spiritual writing\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eMajor works: \u003cem\u003eWind-Wafted Wild Flowers\u003c\/em\u003e (poem, 1903, \u003cem\u003eThe Open Court\u003c\/em\u003e); \u003cem\u003eMy Little Book of Prayer\u003c\/em\u003e (1904); \u003cem\u003eAt the Roots of Grasses\u003c\/em\u003e (1923)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe line traveled without her. It appeared on graduation cards, in commencement speeches, on motivational posters, in corporate presentations, and in a thousand places where attribution was either never researched or quietly discarded. It was given to Emerson. It was given to Thoreau. It was given to the perpetually useful category of \"anonymous.\" The irony is particular: a line about blazing your own trail was stripped of the very trail that led back to its source.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe misattribution to Emerson is the most stubborn. The confusion is understandable — the sentiment fits comfortably with his philosophy of self-reliance, and his name carries the cultural weight that makes attribution feel safe. But Emerson never wrote it. The line is Strode's, published under her name, in a verifiable source, in 1903.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe wrote with a directness unusual for her era and her gender — no sentimentality, no decorative softening, no hedging of the kind that was expected from women writers at the turn of the century. Her poems and essays operated in the register of spiritual philosophy: precise, unsentimental, addressed to the inner life rather than the social performance of it. That precision is why the words survived a century of misattribution. Borrowed lines don't last that long unless they're built well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe lived until 1964 — long enough to have seen her words on a thousand things that never mentioned her name. The provenance is now established. The trail leads back to her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor the ones who go first — who find their way before there is a way to follow, and who do it without needing a sign that reads where they're going.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"leave-a-trail-strode-curious-mind-t-shirt","title":"Leave a Trail — Muriel Strode T-Shirts","description":"\u003cp\u003eMuriel Strode published this in 1903 in a poem called “Wind-Wafted Wild Flowers.” For a century it traveled without her name. This tee gives it back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarry the line that should have been attributed to Strode for a century — on your terms, credited correctly, worn by someone who actually goes where there's no path.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA literary quote t-shirt featuring Muriel Strode’s “I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I ...” from Muriel Strode. Literary apparel by Quoteiac.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMuriel Strode\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe design is on the back. That's intentional. People read it as you walk away — which is exactly when a declaration like this lands hardest. Not a greeting. A statement of direction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMuriel Strode wrote these words in 1903, in a poem called \u003cem\u003eWind-Wafted Wild Flowers\u003c\/em\u003e. For over a century they circulated without her name — attributed to Emerson, to Thoreau, to anonymous. Borrowed by calendars, coffee mugs, and LinkedIn posts, stripped of their source. This tee gives her name back. You wear the quote. You carry the credit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Design\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo warm burnished rules mark the turns in the poem — one after \u003cem\u003ewhere the path may lead,\u003c\/em\u003e and one after \u003cem\u003ewhere there is no path,\u003c\/em\u003e — and AND I WILL LEAVE \/ A TRAIL. arrives in large type below the second rule.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe setup is smaller and italic; the declaration is upright and large.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rules are the moments of refusal. What follows each one earns its weight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout This Tee\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e100% combed and ring-spun cotton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFabric weight: 4.2 oz\/yd² (142 g\/m²)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRetail fit, true to size\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSide-seamed construction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMachine washable, cold water\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eQuoteiac logo on the left sleeve\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe one who stopped asking for directions. Who learned that the paths other people cleared lead to the places other people wanted to go. Who moves forward anyway — and doesn't need anyone to see it coming, only where they've been.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWalk away. Leave something behind.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe same declaration is on the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/quoteiac.com\/products\/leave-a-trail-sweatshirt\"\u003eLeave a Trail Sweatshirt\u003c\/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/quoteiac.com\/products\/leave-a-trail-journal\"\u003eLeave a Trail Journal\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eMuriel Strode, in Plain English\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLived: 1875–1964, American poet and philosopher\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished in \u003cem\u003eThe Open Court\u003c\/em\u003e — a journal of philosophy and science, not a poetry magazine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHer words went everywhere. Her name went nowhere. Misattributed for over a century.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWrote with a precision that made her easy to quote and easy to forget to credit\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNot Emerson. Not Thoreau. Not anonymous. Hers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSize Chart (Bella + Canvas)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eSize\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWidth (in)\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eLength (in)\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eXS\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16.5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e27\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eS\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e18\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e28\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eM\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e29\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eL\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e22\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e30\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eXL\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e31\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2XL\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e26\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e32\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"quoteiac","offers":[{"title":"XS","offer_id":42619232845918,"sku":"4607271_21593","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"S","offer_id":42619232878686,"sku":"4607271_21594","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"M","offer_id":42619232911454,"sku":"4607271_21595","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"L","offer_id":42619232944222,"sku":"4607271_21596","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"XL","offer_id":42619232976990,"sku":"4607271_21597","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2XL","offer_id":42619233009758,"sku":"4607271_21598","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/8664\/4318\/files\/Leave_a_Trail_Tee_Muriel_Strode-_black_tee.png?v=1775707850"},{"product_id":"leave-a-trail-strode-curious-mind-journal","title":"Leave a Trail — Muriel Strode Quote Journals","description":"\u003cp\u003eMuriel Strode was working as a journalist in Chicago when she published \u003cem\u003eWind-Wafted Wild Flowers\u003c\/em\u003e in 1903 — a collection so unconventional that reviewers struggled to classify it. The poem that contains this line is not about adventure. It's about refusing the path that was already laid out.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWrite the path as you go — this journal is for the kind of thinking that doesn't follow where the map points.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMuriel Strode\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere's something fitting about this particular quote on a journal. Muriel Strode was a writer. She left her trail in words — published in 1903 in \u003cem\u003eThe Open Court\u003c\/em\u003e, a journal of philosophy and science. The pages she filled are the reason we're still talking about her. Writing things down is how trails get made.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery page you fill in this journal is the act the cover describes. You're not just carrying the quote — you're doing it. The trail you leave isn't the tee or the sweatshirt. It's this. What you actually write down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Design\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo warm burnished rules divide the cover into three movements: the first refusal, the alternative, and the declaration. AND I WILL LEAVE \/ A TRAIL. is the largest and most upright of the three — the conclusion the poem was building toward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rules mark the pauses. Muriel Strode wrote this in 1903.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cover is built the way she built the poem: refusal first, then the path.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout This Journal\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\nHardcover journal — durable, structured, built to travel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n80 lined, cream-colored pages — easy on the eyes, easy to read back\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\nBuilt-in elastic closure and ribbon bookmark\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e5.5″ × 8.5″\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eQuote printed on the cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe person who thinks by writing. Who works things out on paper before they work them out anywhere else. Who knows that the trail you leave — the real one, the one that matters — isn't made of footprints. It's made of what you were willing to put into words.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStart here. Leave a trail.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe same declaration is on the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/quoteiac.com\/products\/leave-a-trail-tee\"\u003eLeave a Trail Tee\u003c\/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/quoteiac.com\/products\/leave-a-trail-sweatshirt\"\u003eLeave a Trail Sweatshirt\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMuriel Strode, in Plain English\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLived: 1875–1964, American poet and philosopher\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA writer who understood that putting words on a page is its own kind of trailblazing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWind-Wafted Wild Flowers\u003c\/em\u003e (1903) — the poem this quote comes from, published when few took notice\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHer trail: a body of work that survived a century of anonymity and finally has her name back on it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNot Emerson. Not Thoreau. A woman with a pen and something precise to say.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"quoteiac","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42619233501278,"sku":"6538908_16952","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/8664\/4318\/files\/Leave_a_Trail_Journal_Muriel_Strode.png?v=1775707597"},{"product_id":"trailmaker-strode-curious-mind-sweatshirt","title":"Leave a Trail — Muriel Strode Quote Sweatshirt","description":"\u003cp\u003eMuriel Strode published \u003cem\u003eWind-Wafted Wild Flowers\u003c\/em\u003e in 1903 — poetry built around the idea that the individual must make the way, not follow it. The line that opens this sweatshirt became one of the most widely circulated quotes of the last century. Almost no one knows her name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMuriel Strode\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMuriel Strode wrote this in 1903, in a poem called \u003cem\u003eWind-Wafted Wild Flowers\u003c\/em\u003e. For over a century, the words traveled without her name — attributed to Emerson, to Thoreau, to anyone but her. Borrowed by calendars and motivational posters and LinkedIn bios, endlessly recycled, never credited. This sweatshirt gives her name back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you've ever:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMade a decision that nobody around you understood — and been right about it three years later\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLooked at the obvious route and taken the other one, not out of stubbornness but out of certainty\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinished something nobody had a blueprint for, because you wrote the blueprint while doing it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Design\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe quote is on the back, and it builds the way the sentence builds. The opening lines arrive quietly. Two gold rules divide the quote into three movements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the time you reach the final clause — AND I WILL LEAVE A TRAIL. — it's large, it's certain, and it's the last thing anyone sees when you walk away. That's the only direction the sentence goes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout This Sweatshirt\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuote printed on the back. Quoteiac logo on the left sleeve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\nGarment-dyed crewneck — 9.5 oz heavyweight fleece, piece-dyed after construction for that slightly faded, lived-in look that gets better with every wash\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\nRelaxed fit — true to size; size up if between sizes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMachine wash cold, tumble dry low\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvailable in Black\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eQuoteiac logo on left sleeve\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe one who stopped asking for directions. Who knows the path other people cleared leads to the places other people wanted to go. Who moves first and doesn't need anyone to see it coming — only where they've been.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWear the trail.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMuriel Strode, in Plain English\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLived: 1875–1964, Illinois\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePoet, essayist, and early advocate for progressive education — she spent decades teaching and writing in Chicago\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished \u003cem\u003eWind-Wafted Wild Flowers\u003c\/em\u003e in 1903, the collection that contains this poem. Largely forgotten within a generation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHer words became famous. Her name didn't — until the internet started tracing misattributed quotes back to their sources. She was Emerson for a hundred years. She's Strode now.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSize Chart (Garment-Dyed Sweatshirt)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eSize\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eChest Width (in)\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eBody Length (in)\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eSleeve Length (in)\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eS\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e27\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e33.5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eM\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e22\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e28\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e34.5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eL\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e29\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e35.5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eXL\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e26\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e30\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e36.5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2XL\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e28\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e31\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e37.5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e3XL\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e30\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e32\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e38.5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Quoteiac","offers":[{"title":"S","offer_id":42676311326814,"sku":"3419608_24874","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"M","offer_id":42676311359582,"sku":"3419608_24875","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"L","offer_id":42676311392350,"sku":"3419608_24876","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"XL","offer_id":42676311425118,"sku":"3419608_24877","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2XL","offer_id":42676311457886,"sku":"3419608_24878","price":57.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"3XL","offer_id":42676311490654,"sku":"3419608_24879","price":59.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/8664\/4318\/files\/Trailmaker_Sweatshirt_Muriel_Strode_quote.png?v=1776819466"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/8664\/4318\/collections\/Muriel_Strode_Lieberman_1906.jpg?v=1776059782","url":"https:\/\/quoteiac.com\/collections\/muriel-strode.oembed","provider":"Quoteiac","version":"1.0","type":"link"}