does one's own thing
Goes their way
To do one's own thing is to act according to personal preference rather than convention or others' expectations.
The phrase suggests independence and self-direction: She quit her corporate job to do her own thing.
It can imply admirable authenticity or dismissive indifference to social norms, depending on context.
- rebelliousnessTendency toward defiant resistance
- independenceFreedom from external control
- lone wolfSelf-reliant individualist
- originalityNovel creative quality
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
think outside the box · maverick · iconoclasm · free will · outsider · go against the grain · innovation · uniqueness · experimentation · personal agency · self-sufficiency · authenticity · counterculture · defiance · unconventionality · stand apart · live and let live · self-determination
does one's own thingconforms
Matches expected standards
follows the crowd · toes the line · falls in line · goes with the flow · fits in
does one's own thinggoes along to get along
Conforms to maintain acceptance