2. an unoriginal path in life (taken by everyone or by most people)
the beaten path (track)
the well-traveled road.
Я впоследствии не раз встречал эти натуры... Они умно рассуждают, не отступая от данных они ещё умнее поступают, не сходя с торной дороги они настоящие современники своего времени, своего общества (Герцен 2). I have since more than once met these characters....They are intelligent in their judgments, never deviating from their data, they are still more intelligent in their conduct, never stepping aside from the beaten track
they are the true contemporaries of their age, of their society (2a).