This saying means that you may not be in a certain state of being, experience or end point, but you are well on your way. An alternative is "The road to rome starts in Italy" which means that you are on the brink of your journey to an experience or situation and should get started or step away if you want/don't want to end up there.

It can be used with a positive bent but is more often used as a a warning or judgment that someone is on the path to something unwanted, harmful, life altering, undoable, or disaster.

As the saying originated from a member of the Appalachian diaspora the grammatical feature of X impact Y can be applied to this saying, (for example its colder than a witches titty could also be adjusted to its hotter than a pig in a frying pan), but the geographical implication must be clear to the listener.

In this case Rome was an influential empire that impacted everywhere it touched, rose with power and fell in disgrace and was generally both a place to gain favor, fame or fortuned, but also a place to be corrupted, backstabbed or run into a malignant unhinged dictator or be sold as a slave. Regardless, once there its impossible to erase the impacts of Rome and the time to turn around is before or while in Italy.
Friend 1: "I think you should quit drinking, you seem to have trouble with how much you drink."
Friend 2: "I'm not an alcoholic, I only drink a few times a week"
Friend 1: "The road to Rome was paved in Italy"

Student: "I feel like I should not audition for the play."
Teacher: "I'm happy to work with you after school with some other students."
Student: " Yes, but I feel like I'll never be as good as the others."
Teacher: "Go for that role. You really want it. The road to Rome starts in Italy."

Friend one: "I don't think I'm experiencing domestic violence, I should just stop complaining."
Friend two: "He called you a worthless ho who'll never amount to anything and then took your bank card and told you to stop talking to all over your friends."
Friend one: "But he doesn't hit me."
Friend two: "Girl, get out. The road to Rome is paved in Italy."
by LilBriarRose May 18, 2025
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Road Munchies

Food you purposely buy to eat while driving. Not necessarily a road trip, could just be back and forth between work and home, etc.
I'm going to stop by a convenience store and pick up some Road Munchies before I head out to the concert.
by Storm filled Eyes March 26, 2019
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campbellton road

Lotta turnt shii rich young niggas da most throwed niggas quick to snatch ya ho😎😈
We Run Da City Frm Da 1-6 Pyd Most Throwed N Turnt Yns N Da A Campbellton Road !!
by LilKcTurnt June 18, 2022
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Road Tickle

Manually stimulating your girlfriend as she is driving. For guys it's "road head" and so for females it's "road tickle".
George : Hey guess what happened last night ?
Henry: What ?
George: My girlfriend and I were driving to the movies last night and we almost got into an accident because I was giving her a little road tickle.
by lcp1 April 22, 2011
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Portman Road

Home of Ipswich Town FC. Awful stadium for an awful team.
Yuck, never go to Portman Road, it smells.
by Skrom May 26, 2021
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Road Job

A hand job in which the recipient has a shaved penis and is licked down the shaft and onto the balls.

Not to be mistaken with Road Head
"Yo zak my boi, sarah gave me a Road Job the other day"
"You shave? I don't trim my bush."
by The Greasy Grind February 07, 2017
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Grove Road, Lingfield

Lovely road in beautiful SURREY village of Lingfield

Lingfield is full of gentleman and kind people
I would love to be able to move from Kent to Grove Road, Lingfield
by Surrey lad February 05, 2022
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