ɔːl roʊdz liːd tə roʊm
Travel
neutral
intermediate
- Literally:
- all physical roads connect to the city of Rome
What does "all roads lead to rome" mean?
there are many different ways to achieve the same goal
Examples
- Don't worry about which programming language to learn first — all roads lead to Rome.
- Whether you take the academic or vocational route, all roads lead to Rome.
- She chose a different approach, but all roads lead to Rome and they all got the same answer.
Origin
From the Roman Empire's extensive road network. First recorded in English by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century.
How to use it
Used to reassure someone that their chosen method is valid.
Similar expressions
there's more than one way to skin a cat
different strokes for different folks
Opposites
my way or the highway
Related idioms
- hit the road
To leave or depart on a journey
- in the same boat
In the same difficult situation as someone else
- miss the boat
To miss an opportunity
- go the extra mile
to make more effort than is expected or required
- a long way to go
much more work or progress is needed before completion
- that ship has sailed
The opportunity has passed
Use it in a practice answer
Try "all roads lead to rome" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.