Quotes About Self-reliance

I also realized that the philosophers, far from ridding me of my vain doubts, only multiplied the doubts that tormented me and failed to remove any one of them. So I chose another guide and said, Let me follow the Inner Light; it will not lead me so far astray as others have done, or if it does it will be my own fault, and I shall not go so far wrong if I follow my own illusions as if I trusted to their deceits

Right now, if I were lost in the wilderness, I feel that I could probably make it out, find a way to get home. I've learned a lot, and it's been great fun. Every single one of the caves in this last book I've been in--except for one very small one--and they really are exceptional.

No one told her it was impossible to rapid-fire two stones from a sling, because it had never been done before, and since no one told her she couldn't, she taught herself to do it.

Now I no longer wish to be loved, beautiful, happy or successful. I want one thing and one thing only - to be left alone.

To be adult is to be alone.

To be an adult is to be alone.

Who needed excuses? It was each man for himself. It always had been, of course, that was the philosophy the world lived by; but now more so than ever.

It's a relief not having to thank Somebody for every mouthful you eat. (I dare say I'm blasphemous; but you'd be, too, if you'd offered as much obligatory thanks as I have.)

I am good at walking away. Rejection teaches you how to reject.

So Lydia grew up with a mother who emphasized the importance of being independent and saving for the future.

There exists one book, which, to my taste, furnishes the happiest treatise of natural education. What then is this marvelous book? Is it Aristotle? Is it Pliny, is it Buffon? No—it is Robinson Crusoe.

Why should we build our happiness on the opinons of others, when we can find it in our own hearts?

I could, for the first time in maybe thirty years, make my own decision, trust it, and move forward.

So maybe you should try to find an answer for yourself instead of waiting around to see what Sam's going to do. Doing something is always easier than waiting.

Exercising will builds esteem from within through action on one's own behalf; it disproves the premise that only another person can provide it. The result, long in coming and always worth the effort, is the experience of authentic agency in your own life, a sense of self that cannot be destroyed because it is not dependent on anyone else.

You can't cling to the side your whole life, that one lesson every parent needs to teach a child is "If you don't want to sink, you better figure out how to swim

Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count on no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on this earth.

There are plenty of people holding flashlights casting shadows, offering directions. Perhaps it's best if you light your own way.

Life has no auto-settings. No batteries. You gots to wind it up!

Think for yourself and figure out what's true. That's it. Ask yourself what's true until you know.

Think for yourself. That's the golden rule. Think for yourself. Make it your mantra. Tattoo it on the inside of your eyelids.

Allegiance to any spiritual teaching or teacher—any outside authority—is the most treacherous beast in the jungle.

4. Buy less insurance

That blank sheet of paper stage is one of the hardest stages, and one of the reasons it's hard is because at that stage there's nobody counting on you but yourself ... it's really just you, and you can quit any time. Nobody is going to care.