Reference for Eduyot 5:7
בִּשְׁעַת מִיתָתוֹ אָמַר לִבְנוֹ, בְּנִי, חֲזֹר בְּךָ בְאַרְבָּעָה דְבָרִים שֶׁהָיִיתִי אוֹמֵר. אָמַר לוֹ, וְלָמָּה לֹא חָזַרְתָּ בָּךְ. אָמַר לוֹ, אֲנִי שָׁמַעְתִּי מִפִּי הַמְרֻבִּים, וְהֵם שָׁמְעוּ מִפִּי הַמְרֻבִּים. אֲנִי עָמַדְתִּי בִשְׁמוּעָתִי, וְהֵם עָמְדוּ בִשְׁמוּעָתָן. אֲבָל אַתָּה שָׁמַעְתָּ מִפִּי הַיָּחִיד, וּמִפִּי הַמְרֻבִּין. מוּטָב לְהַנִּיחַ דִּבְרֵי הַיָּחִיד, וְלֶאֱחֹז בְּדִבְרֵי הַמְרֻבִּין. אָמַר לוֹ, אַבָּא, פְּקֹד עָלַי לַחֲבֵרֶיךָ. אָמַר לוֹ, אֵינִי מַפְקִיד. אָמַר לוֹ, שֶׁמָּא עִילָה מָצָאתָ בִי. אָמַר לוֹ, לָאו. מַעֲשֶׂיךָ יְקָרְבוּךָ וּמַעֲשֶׂיךָ יְרַחֲקוּךָ:
At the time of his death he said to his son: "My son, retract the four things that I said [re: "a deposited hair," "'green' blood," the torn-off wool of a first-born animal, and the draught of a proselytess and an emancipated maidservant.] He (the son): "Why did you not retract them?" Akavya: "I heard it from the majority and they heard it (the opposite) from the majority. I upheld what I had heard, and they upheld what they had heard. But you heard it from an individual [i.e. from me] and from a majority [against me]. It is better to forsake the words of the individual and to adopt the words of the majority." [For he (Akavya), too, had also received it from a majority, so that his words were like those of the majority — wherefore he told him "Better to forsake, etc." For if not so, why "it is better"? Is it not explicitly written (Exodus 23:2): "After the many to incline (the judgment)," so that it is perforce mandated to forsake the words of the individual? But (in this instance) the reason for saying "'Better', etc." rather than "One must, etc." is that he (Akavya), too, had heard it from a majority. (The halachah is not in accordance with Akavya ben Mahalalel in all of these four instances.)] He (the son): "Father, commend me to your friends." Akavya: "I will not do so." The son: "Have you, perhaps, found some fault in me?" Akavya: "No — your deeds will draw you near (to them), and your deeds will distance you."