Where “different strokes for different folks” comes from

In short: The saying “different strokes for different folks” means people like different things, and it became popular in the US in the 1960s.

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The phrase “different strokes for different folks” is a short way to say that there is not one best choice for everyone. What feels right to one person might not feel right to someone else. People often use it to accept differences without arguing about them.

Sources trace the expression to the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. It grew out of African-American everyday speech and street slang. One of the earliest well known public uses was by boxer Muhammad Ali in 1966, when he talked about changing his punching style depending on his opponent.

The phrase then reached a much bigger audience through music. It appeared in Sly and the Family Stone’s 1968 hit song “Everyday People.” By the mid 1970s, it was common enough to show up in major advertising, including a Volkswagen campaign.

There is also an interesting side note about the word “stroke.” A psychologist named Eric Berne used “stroke” in a 1964 book to mean a basic act of social attention, like acknowledging someone’s presence (similar to a nod or a greeting). In everyday use, though, most people understand the full phrase as simply meaning “to each their own.”

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The expression is still used today, mainly in American English, and it stays more casual than formal. If you see it in writing, the main point is usually tolerance, not advice about doing things one specific way.

Source: NYTimes