ChatGPT:

“The Bhagavad-Gita says, “It is better to follow your own path, however imperfectly, than to follow someone else’s perfectly.”

Yes — that idea does appear in the Bhagavad Gita, though the wording you quoted is a modern paraphrase.

The verse usually cited is Chapter 3, Verse 35 (and a very similar line appears in Chapter 18). A common translation reads:

“Better is one’s own duty (svadharma), though imperfectly performed, than the duty of another well performed.”

What it means

The teaching is about svadharma — one’s own path, role, or inner calling.

The idea is:

• Each person has a unique nature and responsibility.
• Even if you carry out your own path imperfectly, it is spiritually healthier than imitating someone else’s life perfectly.
• Living someone else’s life creates inner conflict and inauthenticity.

Context in the Gita

The teaching is given by Krishna to Arjuna, who is reluctant to fight in the great war described in the Mahabharata. Krishna tells him that, as a warrior, he must fulfill his own duty rather than try to adopt another role.

A slightly fuller translation

Another widely cited version:

“Better one’s own duty, though lacking merit, than the duty of another well performed. Better to die in one’s own duty; the duty of another is fraught with danger.”

So the modern quote you gave captures the spirit of the passage, even though it simplifies the original Sanskrit concept of dharma.