go with the stream

go with the stream

To go along or agree with the prevailing or popularly held opinion or perspective; to act or behave the same way as the majority of others. When I was in college, I used to have a lot of radical opinions and beliefs, but as I've grown older, I find myself going with the stream more often. I'm sorry, but I simply refuse to going along with the stream just because it's the easier option!
See also: go, stream

go, swim, etc. with/against the ˈstream/ˈtide

behave/not behave in the same way as most other people: He’s a fashion designer who’s always swum against the stream; his work is very original. ♢ Why do you always have to go against the tide?
See also: stream, tide
References in classic literature ?
Why should we knock under and go with the stream? Let us not be upset and overwhelmed in that terrible rapid and whirlpool called a dinner, situated in the meridian shallows.
View in context
Youthful vitality might be flawed, but a society transforming itself needs it: 'A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.' (Aphorism).
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