---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you're watching a parade, don't follow…"
description: "\"If you're watching a parade, don't follow it. It never changes. If the parade is boring, run in the opposite direction. You will fast-forward the parad..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/mitch-hedberg-695_boring_if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow_1606775.png"
---

#  If you're watching a parade, don't follow it. It never…

![“If you're watching a parade, don't follow it. It never changes. If the parade is boring, run in the opposite direction. You will fast-forward the parade.” quote by Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/mitch-hedberg-695_boring_if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow_1606775.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/mitch-hedberg-695_boring_if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow_1606775.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/mitch-hedberg-695_boring_if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow_1606775.png)

> “If you're watching a parade, don't follow it. It never changes. If the parade is boring, run in the opposite direction. You will fast-forward the parade.”

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Avoid following the crowd; change direction to experience new perspectives.

**In simple terms:** Don't follow the parade.

Key Takeaway

Choose a different path.

Themes

individuality creativity non‑conformity

Mood

humorous provocative

Type

satirical philosophical

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- travel
- creative projects

Key Concepts

social dynamics choice theory

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the parade represent for you?
- How can you balance conformity and innovation?

A Different Perspective

Going opposite may lead to isolation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Parades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parades/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/)

## Related quotes

> [If anyone says, 'Let's have a girls' night out,' I will run in the opposite direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-scott-thomas/if-anyone-says-let-s-have-a-girls-night-out-i-will-run-in-the/)

[Kristin Scott Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-scott-thomas/)

> [“The Earth never stops spinning, Abby, no matter how fast you run in the opposite direction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ackley/the-earth-never-stops-spinning-abby-no-matter-how-fast-you-run-in-the/)

Amy Ackley

> [I'd like to think, if I was ever in a fight, I'd win, although I'd probably run in the opposite direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/i-d-like-to-think-if-i-was-ever-in-a-fight-i-d-win-although-i-d/)

[Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/)

> [“Love thy neighbor as thyself. Unless he calls you names. Then do not love him, run in the opposite direction and throw a gerbil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-j-ginger/love-thy-neighbor-as-thyself-unless-he-calls-you-names-then-do-not/)

Coco J. Ginger

> [Whenever anybody pressures me to do anything, I run in the opposite direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stassi-schroeder/whenever-anybody-pressures-me-to-do-anything-i-run-in-the-opposite/)

[Stassi Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stassi-schroeder/)

> [I don't go to regular music festivals because I tend to run in the opposite direction wherever there's big crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-lee/i-don-t-go-to-regular-music-festivals-because-i-tend-to-run-in-the/)

[Sheryl Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-lee/)

> [While fools shun one set of faults they run into the opposite one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/while-fools-shun-one-set-of-faults-they-run-into-the-opposite-one/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [Basically, when I hear the words 'family drama,' I run in the opposite direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/basically-when-i-hear-the-words-family-drama-i-run-in-the-opposite/)

[Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/)

> [For many years, I used to run to the opposite direction when I saw photographers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/for-many-years-i-used-to-run-to-the-opposite-direction-when-i-saw/)

[Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/)

> [Every time I hear a revenge story, I run the opposite direction. I just don't think such stories have any novelty value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suniel-shetty/every-time-i-hear-a-revenge-story-i-run-the-opposite-direction-i-just/)

[Suniel Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suniel-shetty/)

> [“The Nazi salute was performed by public officials in the USA from 1892 through 1942. The researcher Dr. Rex Curry asks 'What happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micky-barnetti/the-nazi-salute-was-performed-by-public-officials-in-the-usa-from/)

Micky Barnetti

> [I used to come to the gay pride parades in New York. I've been to a few down in Miami Beach, if memory serves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-duran/i-used-to-come-to-the-gay-pride-parades-in-new-york-i-ve-been-to-a/)

[Elvis Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-duran/)

> [And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/and-so-the-greatest-of-american-triumphs-became-a-peculiarly-joyless/)

[Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/)

> [It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness - I’m so accustomed to my Fate - Perhaps the Other - Peace - Would interrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/it-might-be-lonelier-without-the-loneliness-i-m-so-accustomed-to-my/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/)

[Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/)

## More by Mitch Hedberg

> [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [There was a product on late night TV that you could attach to your garden hose - "You can water your hard-to-reach plants with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/there-was-a-product-on-late-night-tv-that-you-could-attach-to-your/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [Imagine if you were a drummer, and you accidentally picked up two magic wands instead of sticks. There you are, keeping the beat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/imagine-if-you-were-a-drummer-and-you-accidentally-picked-up-two/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I like wearing necklaces, because it lets me know when I'm upside down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-like-wearing-necklaces-because-it-lets-me-know-when-i-m-upside-down/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I'm sick of Soup Of The Day, man. It's time we make a decision. I need to know what Soup From Now On is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-m-sick-of-soup-of-the-day-man-it-s-time-we-make-a-decision-i-need/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I have a friend who is a juggler. If I'm at his house, I don't like to take food from him, if it's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-have-a-friend-who-is-a-juggler-if-i-m-at-his-house-i-don-t-like-to/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I don't get the regular AIDS test anymore. I get the roundabout AIDS test. I ask my friend Brian, "Do you know anybody who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-get-the-regular-aids-test-anymore-i-get-the-roundabout-aids/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I don't know how to fix a car. If the car breaks down, and the gas tank does not say "E", I'm screwed. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-know-how-to-fix-a-car-if-the-car-breaks-down-and-the-gas-tank/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I drank some boiling water because I wanted to whistle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-drank-some-boiling-water-because-i-wanted-to-whistle/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [What's a sesame seed grow into? I don't know we never give them a chance, what the fuck is a sesame?! It's a street...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/what-s-a-sesame-seed-grow-into-i-don-t-know-we-never-give-them-a/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I'm an ice sculptor. Last night I made a cube.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-m-an-ice-sculptor-last-night-i-made-a-cube/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I went to a restaurant with my friend, and he said, "Pass the salt." I said, "Screw you! Sit closer to the salt."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-went-to-a-restaurant-with-my-friend-and-he-said-pass-the-salt-i/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I had a bag of Fritos, they were Texas grilled Fritos. These Fritos had grill marks on them. They remind me of summer, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-had-a-bag-of-fritos-they-were-texas-grilled-fritos-these-fritos-had/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I bought a house, it's a two bedroom house, but I think it's up to me to decide how many bedrooms there are. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-bought-a-house-it-s-a-two-bedroom-house-but-i-think-it-s-up-to-me/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [Mr. Pibb is a poor imitation of Dr. Pepper. Dude didn't even get his degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/mr-pibb-is-a-poor-imitation-of-dr-pepper-dude-didn-t-even-get-his/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

[Explore all 405 Mitch Hedberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

## More Boring quotes

> [Normal is so Boring!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/normal-is-so-boring/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't want easy success. It's boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudeep/i-don-t-want-easy-success-it-s-boring/)

[Sudeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudeep/)

> [I'd be very controversial if I said why, and I don't do controversial anymore. That's too passé. So last year. Being controversial is boring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/i-d-be-very-controversial-if-i-said-why-and-i-don-t-do-controversial/)

M.I.A

> [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/)

[Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I'm bored of being bored because being bored is very boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/i-m-bored-of-being-bored-because-being-bored-is-very-boring/)

[Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/)

> [The films I find boring are the ones that have no space for the audience's misconceptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-decker/the-films-i-find-boring-are-the-ones-that-have-no-space-for-the/)

[Josephine Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-decker/)

> [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [I've always felt that dark lyrics with dark music is pretty useless. Maybe that's a strong statement - not useless, but for me, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-always-felt-that-dark-lyrics-with-dark-music-is-pretty-useless/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [Something is wrong if workers do not look around each day, find things that are tedious or boring, and then rewrite the procedures. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taiichi-ohno/something-is-wrong-if-workers-do-not-look-around-each-day-find-things/)

[Taiichi Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taiichi-ohno/)

> [Plumbing is usually boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/plumbing-is-usually-boring/)

[Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/)

> [If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/if-something-is-boring-after-two-minutes-try-it-for-four-if-still/)

[John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/)

> [Acting is an escape from the boring person that I am in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/acting-is-an-escape-from-the-boring-person-that-i-am-in-real-life/)

[Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/)

Browse all 3,123 Boring quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you're watching a parade, don't follow it. It never changes. If the parade is boring, run in the opposite direction. You will fast-forward the parade.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mitch Hedberg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow-it-it-never-changes-if-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Boring"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow-it-it-never-changes-if-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/mitch-hedberg-695_boring_if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow_1606775.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/mitch-hedberg-695_boring_if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow_1606775.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/648/mitch-hedberg-695_boring_if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow_1606775.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you're watching a parade, don't follow it. It never changes. If the parade is boring, run in the opposite…” — Mitch Hedberg",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Mitch Hedberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you're watching a parade, don't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow-it-it-never-changes-if-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/if-you-re-watching-a-parade-don-t-follow-it-it-never-changes-if-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
