march to a different drummer
Follow your path
To march to a different drummer is to follow one's own inclinations rather than conforming to prevailing standards or expectations.
The phrase suggests someone whose internal rhythm doesn't match society's: She's always marched to a different drummer—dropped out of law school to raise goats.
Also appears as march to the beat of a different drummer.
- quirkinessUnusual or unexpected trait
- individualityUnique personal character
- dissenterOpponent of orthodoxy
- nonconformistRejects prevailing social standards
- iconoclastAttacker of cherished beliefs
unconventional · against the grain · authenticity · eccentricity · pioneering · free spirit · lone wolf · autonomy · counterculture · trailblazing · maverick · rebel · wild card · square peg · independence · think outside the box · defiance · experimentalism
- music expressionsmusic to my ears, in tune, out of tune, play it by ear, strike a chord
march to a different drummerconform
Behave as expected
follow the crowd · go with the flow · toe the line · fall in line · go along to get along
marches, marched, marching, marcher, marchers, different, differ, differs, differed