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do your own thing

do your own thing

Date: Nov 23 2006

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“I love making my own money and not having to get anything from my parents… It’s nice to make your own living and do your own thing.”

Paris Hilton talking about why she works even though her parents are wealthy.

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

be independent; be an individual

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

Paris Hilton is saying that she likes to be independent. She doesn’t want to have to answer to her parents or depend on them for money. She prefers to do her own thing.

But you can use this expression to mean independence in general, not just financial independence. For example, say your boyfriend is mad because you don’t want to see him tonight. but you’ve seen him every night for the last week. You can say, “Tonight, I’m hanging our with my girlfriends. Just do your own thing!”

This expression can also be used to describe a person who doesn’t adhere to the rules of society, or who is unconventional. For example, say your brother quit college to ride his bike across China, and hasn’t had a job for two years. Now that’s someone who does his own thing!

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

“You can’t just do what people think you should do. You gotta do your own thing.”

“The key to a healthy relationship is to still do your own thing sometimes. You can’t be together 24 hours a day!”

“You’re gonna have to do your own thing tonight. I have to work.”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

stella8417 do anything you like
by stella8417
It's nice to organise things as you like, be independent, be self-confident, , earn your own money, and enjoy the freedom, the responsibility, the sense of one's own value = self-esteem and love. Cheers!!
by little john
snello to do my own thing is to be on my own, independent, standing alone :)
by snello
it means doing everything by herself without any help from others
by UPtown girl
refani i think it means self-help.
by refani
fedorame to do what you want,or you're independent to do something.
by fedorame
to do what you want without caring what anyone else "Which are parents in this case" thinks of you
by ebarals
to be independent,to care about yourself
by greenpepper88
do what u want to do and set up ur career
by 454545
balljie do thinks by yourself and earn the money for yourself
by balljie
i guess the meaning of" do your own thing" is that we do things we think belonging to us. and we feel that we have the ability to do things by ourselves well. it is a kind of philosophy of life.
by kerry sun
babylonely Because she want to be independent.
by babylonely
Lini Do everything that you like.
by Lini
To do things independantly
by yonfifi
sidar21 actually i have the same idea with her...she is the voice of my ideas..
by sidar21
Felice Paris Hilton is saying that she has the freedom to do the things she wants without bothering her parents. So, do your own things means free to do whatever we want to do. Like her, I'm also making my own living without bothering or obligating my children, and with that, can do my own things without giving any burdens or problems to my children. I'm a widow and live independently.
by Felice
cdan_2006 to do what one likes to do.
by cdan_2006
hossein99 do what you wanna
by hossein99
Do your own work means when you do something by yourself and when you do it independently
by balool
do your businesses by yourself without any help.
by oceangirl05
osatoga It means "make your own money"
by osatoga
JazzThing it means to be independent from other people and to act as one sees fit...
by JazzThing
amy tong I guess it means doing one's thing he like whenever and wherever.
by amy tong
well... that's the one of most really good attitude to live in these kinds of days such a competitive world.
by justg
snejka to earn yours own living
by snejka
to do what you want by your own money
by nihateken
dringfun Do what you like without anybody's advice.
by dringfun
doods To be independent
by doods

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Comments

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gud.man09

Pakistan

You have no concern with other.. Like


What the hell with you guys, don’t interfere in my personal life i want to do my own thing?


 

05:53 AM Oct 12 2011 |

1 person likes this

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

to be independent is really important for everybody and men specially



you can’t just depend on your parent’s money and care , then, what about your future own life ?? will you resort to your parents instructions??



all what i want to say that all of us have to use to be independent from now and so on .



to learn how to run our homes and careers in the future by ourselves with no interference or help of anybody else.


for me , i’m totally trying to be independent in many things and like to be like that.


independence for me is confidence, and we have all to be confident and build our own independent character and our own life away from any aids.


“but at the appropriate time and the appropriate chance” . 

04:26 PM Oct 11 2011 |

Bruce_zhou

China

Actually ,i m defintely a independent person,always do my own thing and just refer to other person’s suggestion,i will make the eventually decision by my self,whatever choose my college,my girlfriend,and chose or change my job,totally decision by my self,if i make the decision,none can be changed normally,but i make the choose always sanely ,never foolhardly,so everyone say that i m very independently, i think it’s absolutely true,why i live independently,because i know none can accompany with you all the life,just some time in your life,that’s reason why you have to independent in your life and do you own thing,as far as i know ,someone know this principle,so we often see that someone even though theirs parents actually wealthly,but still try to find some jobs or open own business to make money by self,but also have many guys just enjoy theirs parents’s wealth as well ,eventually,when the parents has gone,the guys can not living by self any more.what a pit.

09:13 AM Oct 11 2011 |

Tony Lew

China

A man do everything by himself,that’ independent.


03:20 AM Oct 11 2011 |

1 person likes this

templerman

United States

Many of you have a hint of it. However, the full meaning at the time, during the 60’s and 70’s, was defined less about being independent and more about the road we wanted to travel. At the time, the deeper meaning for many of us was embodied in the fact that we chose to go our own way in life. It was a statement to the establishment and to our elders that we saw things from different perspectives. We wanted to find a different view and to define what we saw as answers to age old ills. Even so, listen for yourselves to the lyrics of the song of the same title by Cass Elliot, or Bobby Sherman.


Many people did try to understand new ways of thinking and doing. Many were disillusioned. Some of them were lost along the way, and their memory is with us still. To truly understand the meaning of the phrase as it was used at the time was to follow the wisdom of radicals of other times, like Henry David Thoreau. His life and writings defined for many that: “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears the beat of a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.” Moreover, that for me represents best of all what doing your own thing means.


Moreover, for many people, from parents to the authority structure, it was seen as ingratitude and selfishness, and to some, as down right trouble making. That may well be true of many boomers. However, many of us wanted to find different ways then they had. Many of our generation defined “doing your own thing” as activism, freedom, health, mind-expansion, music, peace, politics, and even spirituality. What do you think that the catch phrase for the past two or three generations would be?

08:31 PM Oct 10 2011 |

anandkawasthi

India

it means if you having good relationship with any person.this does not means you live together 24 hours ,sometimes do you own work. 

12:16 PM Nov 25 2010 |

1 person likes this

naoufal12

Morocco

as far as i believe to be independent is not to depend only on yourself you,cause you can also depend on you soulmate for exemple because if you’re falling in love you are just like person

08:45 PM Feb 21 2008 |

german germ

Germany

i refuse to learn english from paris hilton.
to me this is like learning about politics from george bush=)

08:35 PM Nov 23 2006 |

Marzouq

Marzouq

Jordan

I want to speak English as natives.

11:12 AM Nov 23 2006 |

amado

amado

Jordan

i dont think she’s doing here own thing???

09:07 AM Nov 23 2006 |

June.Zou

June.Zou

China

do my own thing

01:33 AM Nov 23 2006 |

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