Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 35

Better one's own duty, though imperfect, than the duty of another well performed. Better death in one's own duty; the duty of another is fraught with fear.

Doing your own thing imperfectly beats doing someone else's thing perfectly.

This isn't about literal death, it's about how much inner conflict comes from chasing a path that was never yours. Staying with what is your own, even done imperfectly, holds together in a way borrowed ambition never quite does.