--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore…" description: "\"Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom.\" — Sam Walton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/sam-walton-4376_conventional_swim-upstream-go-the-other-way-ignore-th_2131389.jpg" --- # Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional… ![“Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom.” quote by Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/sam-walton-4376_conventional_swim-upstream-go-the-other-way-ignore-th_2131389.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/sam-walton-4376_conventional_swim-upstream-go-the-other-way-ignore-th_2131389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/sam-walton-4376_conventional_swim-upstream-go-the-other-way-ignore-th_2131389.jpg) > “Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom.” [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Going against popular opinion can lead to unique opportunities and success. **In simple terms:** Ignore mainstream advice to find your own path. Key Takeaway Question the norm for advantage. Themes independence innovation nonconformity Mood determined adventurous Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - personal projects - career pivots - social movements Key Concepts Strategic risk creative thinking Questions to Reflect On - When have you defied convention successfully? - What risks are worth taking? A Different Perspective Blind rebellion may ignore useful wisdom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conventional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional/) [Conventional wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional-wisdom/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Ignore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignore/) [Ignore Conventional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignore-conventional-2263943/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Swim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swim/) [Swim Upstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swim-upstream-1820635/) [Upstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upstream/) [Upstream Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upstream-way-4394374/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everybody else is doing it one way, there's a good chance you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/swim-upstream-go-the-other-way-ignore-the-conventional-wisdom-if/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [Create a vision and never let the environment, other people's beliefs, or the limits of what has been done in the past shape your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-robbins-baron-robbins/create-a-vision-and-never-let-the-environment-other-people-s-beliefs/) [Lionel Robbins, Baron Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-robbins-baron-robbins/) > [Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everybody else is doing it one way, there’s a good chance you can find your niche by going in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/ignore-the-conventional-wisdom-if-everybody-else-is-doing-it-one-way/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [“Some fish love to swim upstream. Some people love to overcome challenges.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/some-fish-love-to-swim-upstream-some-people-love-to-overcome/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [Your background it ain't squeaky clean shit. Sometimes we all got to swim upstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/your-background-it-ain-t-squeaky-clean-shit-sometimes-we-all-got-to/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [Remember, a dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/remember-a-dead-fish-can-float-downstream-but-it-takes-a-live-one-to/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [“One can never swim upstream to a prosper future if they continue to drown in their past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/one-can-never-swim-upstream-to-a-prosper-future-if-they-continue-to/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [Conventional wisdom tells us we'll only be happier after a divorce if the marriage itself was a war zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/conventional-wisdom-tells-us-we-ll-only-be-happier-after-a-divorce-if/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [The line that I am urging as today's conventional wisdom is not a denial of consciousness. It is often called, with more reason, arepudiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-van-orman-quine/the-line-that-i-am-urging-as-today-s-conventional-wisdom-is-not-a/) [Willard Van Orman Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-van-orman-quine/) > [Conventional wisdom on government's role in inequality often has it backwards. Tax reforms have resulted in a more progressive federal income tax; government transfer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/conventional-wisdom-on-government-s-role-in-inequality-often-has-it/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [All conventional wisdom has an element of truth to it, but good design requires more than an element of truth - it requires an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/all-conventional-wisdom-has-an-element-of-truth-to-it-but-good-design/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed levees and exploded the conventional wisdom about a shared American prosperity, exposing a group of people so poor they didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/hurricane-katrina-overwhelmed-levees-and-exploded-the-conventional/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [What's different now is that while political leaders used to give talking points to talk radio, now talk-radio hosts are giving talking points to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avlon/what-s-different-now-is-that-while-political-leaders-used-to-give/) [John Avlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avlon/) > [Contrarian thinking at its best simply asks, Is this really true? It speaks up when the politically correct answer or the conventional wisdom doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-osborne/contrarian-thinking-at-its-best-simply-asks-is-this-really-true-it/) [Larry Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-osborne/) > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) ## More by Sam Walton > [It is unhealthy to marinate in your own press clippings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/it-is-unhealthy-to-marinate-in-your-own-press-clippings/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [Loosen up, and everybody around you will loosen up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/loosen-up-and-everybody-around-you-will-loosen-up/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [All of us profit from being corrected - if we're corrected in a positive way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/all-of-us-profit-from-being-corrected-if-we-re-corrected-in-a/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/the-secret-of-successful-retailing-is-to-give-your-customers-what/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [If I had to single out one element in my life that has made a difference for me, it would be a passion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/if-i-had-to-single-out-one-element-in-my-life-that-has-made-a/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [We're all working together; that's the secret. And we'll lower the cost of living for everyone, not just in America, but we'll give the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/we-re-all-working-together-that-s-the-secret-and-we-ll-lower-the-cost/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [The key to success is to get out into the store and listen to what the associates have to say. It's terribly important for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/the-key-to-success-is-to-get-out-into-the-store-and-listen-to-what/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [I think my constant fiddling and meddling with the status quo may have been one of my biggest contributions to the later success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/i-think-my-constant-fiddling-and-meddling-with-the-status-quo-may/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [High expectations is the key to everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/high-expectations-is-the-key-to-everything/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [Exceed your customer's expectations. If you do, they'll come back over and over. Give them what they want - and a little more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/exceed-your-customer-s-expectations-if-you-do-they-ll-come-back-over/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free and worth a fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/nothing-else-can-quite-substitute-for-a-few-well-chosen-well-timed/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [I was asked what I thought about the recession. I thought about it and decided not to take part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/i-was-asked-what-i-thought-about-the-recession-i-thought-about-it-and/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [Capital isn't hard to find; intuition, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/capital-isn-t-hard-to-find-intuition-yes/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [Commit to your business. Believe in it more than anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/commit-to-your-business-believe-in-it-more-than-anybody-else/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [Our best ideas come from clerks and stockboys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/our-best-ideas-come-from-clerks-and-stockboys/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) [Explore all 112 Sam Walton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) ## More Conventional quotes > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Conventional agriculture has never succeeded in feeding the world, and it's never produced anything good to eat. For the future, we need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/conventional-agriculture-has-never-succeeded-in-feeding-the-world-and/) [Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/) > [Contrarian thinking at its best simply asks, Is this really true? It speaks up when the politically correct answer or the conventional wisdom doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-osborne/contrarian-thinking-at-its-best-simply-asks-is-this-really-true-it/) [Larry Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-osborne/) > [Because investors are not usually penalized for adhering to conventional practices, doing so is the less professionally risky strategy, even though it virtually guarantees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/because-investors-are-not-usually-penalized-for-adhering-to/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [My father was in real estate, banking, and land management. As family life, it was very conventional, happy, and comfortable. We weren't wealthy, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/my-father-was-in-real-estate-banking-and-land-management-as-family/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I think you will learn to be natural with me, as I find it impossible to be conventional with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-think-you-will-learn-to-be-natural-with-me-as-i-find-it-impossible/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [What's different now is that while political leaders used to give talking points to talk radio, now talk-radio hosts are giving talking points to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avlon/what-s-different-now-is-that-while-political-leaders-used-to-give/) [John Avlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avlon/) > [Some days, I think maybe we should try and be a little more conventional, but every time I try, I fail, so I'm learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seinabo-sey/some-days-i-think-maybe-we-should-try-and-be-a-little-more/) [Seinabo Sey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seinabo-sey/) > [The vision of extraordinary achievement is,by definition, a few steps beyond consensus and conventional logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-belsky/the-vision-of-extraordinary-achievement-is-by-definition-a-few-steps/) [Scott Belsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-belsky/) > [“Can you make me remember the conventional way?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-ellen-malpas/can-you-make-me-remember-the-conventional-way/) [Jodi Ellen Malpas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-ellen-malpas/) > [Nobody can live in society without conventions. The reason why sensible people are as conventional as they can bear to be is that conventionality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/nobody-can-live-in-society-without-conventions-the-reason-why/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Currency speculation-over a trillion dollars a day-is a tax-free activity. The notion of a tax on "day trades" or other speculative swaps was revived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kierans/currency-speculation-over-a-trillion-dollars-a-day-is-a-tax-free/) [Eric Kierans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kierans/) > [Fear is a problem with film music and films; people want to be conventional, and there's more commercialism today. If you are not daring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-north/fear-is-a-problem-with-film-music-and-films-people-want-to-be/) [Alex North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-north/) [Browse all 742 Conventional quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Swim upstream. Go the other way. 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