Etymology Journal · D
Different strokes for different folks
Meaning
- A tolerant way of saying that people have different preferences and what works for one person might not work for another. It is a plea for living and letting live.
Accepting, wise
Used in a sentence
- Some people like coffee, others like tea; different strokes for different folks.
- I do not understand why he likes camping, but different strokes for different folks.
- We all have our own hobbies, and that is just different strokes for different folks.
The backstory
The phrase has roots in African American Vernacular English and gained massive popularity in the 1960s and 70s. It was even the theme song hook for a famous sitcom.
Heard in
Nationwide
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