paddle (one's) own canoe

paddle (one's) own canoe

To act independently. Now that you're 30, people expect you to paddle your own canoe—you can't just live with your parents forever.See also: canoe, own, paddle

paddle one's own canoe

Fig. to do something by oneself; to be alone. I've been left to paddle my own canoe too many times. Sally isn't with us. She's off paddling her own canoe.See also: canoe, own, paddle

paddle one's own canoe

Be independent and self-reliant, as in It's time Bill learned to paddle his own canoe. This idiom alludes to steering one's own boat. [c. 1800] See also: canoe, own, paddle

paddle your own canoe

If you paddle your own canoe, you control what you want to do without anyone's help or interference. With no one managing him, he was basically left to paddle his own canoe. As far as the rest of Europe is concerned we've just got to paddle our own canoe.See also: canoe, own, paddle

paddle your own canoe

be independent and self-sufficient. informal This expression has been in figurative use from the early 19th century: it was the title of a popular song by Sarah T. Bolton in 1854 .See also: canoe, own, paddle