best quotations about
Self-reliance |
and Autonomy
| 81 quotes | Visits: 15,505 |
Quotations
 | If you want a thing done well, do it yourself. — Napoleon, 1769-1821, French Emperor 23 likes |
 | He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god. — Aristotle, 384-322 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher 20 likes |
 | Self-sufficiency is the greatest of all wealth. — Epicurus, 341-270 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher 17 likes |
 | If you cannot live alone, you were born a slave. — Fernando Pessoa, 1888-1935, Portuguese poet & writer 15 likes |
 | Make your own rules or be a slave to another man's. — William Blake, 1757-1827, English poet & painter 15 likes |
 | To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. — Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1884, American philosopher 13 likes |
| Freedom is the greatest fruit of self sufficiency. — Epicurus, 341-270 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher 10 likes |
 | Man—every man—is an end in himself, not a means to the ends of others; he must live for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. — Ayn Rand, 1905-1982, American writer & philosopher 10 likes |
 | Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself. — Robert Frost, 1874-1963, American poet 8 likes |
 | What is the seal of liberation? — No longer being ashamed in front of oneself. — Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German philosopher 6 likes |
| No one can construct for you the bridge upon which precisely you must cross the stream of life, no one but you yourself alone. — Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German philosopher 6 likes |
 | Young men are apt to think themselves wise enough, as drunken men are apt to think themselves sober enough. — Lord Chesterfield, 1694-1773, English statesman & writer 6 likes |
 | Be an empty page, untouched by words. — Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian mystic & poet 6 likes |
 | It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project. — Napoleon Hill, 1883-1970, American self-help writer 6 likes |
 | Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. — Steve Jobs, 1955-2011, American businessman 6 likes |
 | Never complain and never explain. — Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881, British Prime Minister 5 likes |
| If one's actions are honest, one does not need the predated confidence of others. — Ayn Rand, 1905-1982, American writer & philosopher 5 likes |
| I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine. — Ayn Rand, 1905-1982, American writer & philosopher 5 likes |
| Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah. It makes absolutely no difference what people think of you. — Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian mystic & poet 5 likes |
 | If I were reincarnated, I’d want to come back a buzzard. Nothing hates him or envies him or wants him or needs him. He is never bothered or in danger, and he can eat anything. — William Faulkner, 1897-1962, American writer, Nobel 1949 5 likes |
 | Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame. — Erica Jong, 1942-, American writer 5 likes |
| Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become. — Steve Jobs, 1955-2011, American businessman 5 likes |
 | You can only accomplish your object in life by complete disregard of the opinions of other people. — Aleister Crowley, 1875-1945, British magician & occultist, 5 likes |
| I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think. — Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian mystic & poet 4 likes |
 | Individualism is the cradle of vulgarity. — Nicolas Gomez Davila, 1913-1994, Colombian writer 4 likes |
| The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. — Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1884, American philosopher 4 likes |
 | They will say you are on the wrong road, if it is your own. — Antonio Porchia, 1885-1968, Italian-Argentinian poet 4 likes |
 | To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's. — Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1821-1881, Russian writer 4 likes |
 | If I had asked them what they had wanted, they would have said a faster horse. — Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American industrialist, founder of FORD 4 likes |
 | When someone accuses you of only doing what you want, they usually mean you’re not doing what they want. — Manolis Doukides, Greek writer 4 likes |
 | He who drinks his cider alone, let him catch his horse alone. — Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, American politician & writer 3 likes |
 | A man by himself is in bad company. — Eric Hoffer, 1902-1983, American writer & philosopher 3 likes |
 | When I want to know what France thinks, I ask myself. — Charles de Gaulle, 1890-1970, French President 3 likes |
 | If I lived my life by what others were thinkin’, the heart inside me would‘ve died. — Bob Dylan, 1941-, American singer [Nobel 2016] 3 likes |
| Dealing with my own life takes priority over other people dealing with my life. — Bob Dylan, 1941-, American singer [Nobel 2016] 3 likes |
| Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth. — Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian mystic & poet 3 likes |
 | I do not exist to impress the world. I exist to live my life in a way that will make me happy. — Richard Bach, 1936-, American writer 3 likes |
 | Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn. — Miguel Cervantes, 1547-1616, Spanish writer 3 likes |
| I am alone. There is no God where I am. — Aleister Crowley, 1875-1945, British magician & occultist, 3 likes |
| But why should you care what people will say? All you have to do is please yourself. — Ayn Rand, 1905-1982, American writer & philosopher 2 likes |
| Never ask people about your work. — Ayn Rand, 1905-1982, American writer & philosopher 2 likes |
| It is noble to be shy, illustrious not to know how to act, great not to have a gift for living. — Fernando Pessoa, 1888-1935, Portuguese poet & writer 2 likes |
 | Chiefly the mold of a man's fortune is in his own hands. — Francis Bacon, 1561-1626, English philosopher 2 likes |
| Never expect anyone to grant you power, prestige, or authority. Those who desire it must claim it for themselves. — Manolis Doukides, Greek writer 2 likes |
 | We become strongest, I feel, when we have no friends upon whom to lean, or to look for moral guidance. — Benito Moussolini, 1883-1945, Italian dictator 2 likes |
 | The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along without them. — Frank A. Clark, 1911-1991, American cartoonist 1 likes |
 | The worst moment for my patients was when they discovered that they were masters of their own fate. It was no longer a question of good or bad luck. When they could no longer blame fate, they despaired. — Anais Nin, 1903-1977, French writer 1 likes |
 | Let me listen to me and not to them. |
 | If a man goes a little too far along a new road, it is usually himself that he harms more than any one else. |
 | Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. |
 | You have the brushes, you have the colors, paint the paradise and go inside. |
 | No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. |
 | I am what I am because early in life I decided that I would please at least myself in all things. |
 | No one can advise or help you — no one. There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart. |
 | The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you’ll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. |
 | I am the cat that walks alone. |
 | We should never allow our fears or the expectations of others to set the frontiers of our destiny. |
 | You become mature when you become the authority of your own life. |
 | Everyone did not become completely themselves until the day their parents died. |
| “Without the gods, how would I sing?” I asked. “With your own voice,” he said. |
 | I've always acted alone. Americans like that immensely. |
 | Everything influences me, nothing changes me. |
 | If you want to put yourself on the map, publish your own map. — Ashleigh Brilliant, 1933-, British cartoonist & epigrammatist |
 | What I do with my life is of my own doing. I live it the best way I can. |
 | Learn to live with self and you will learn to live with others. |
 | Everyone has the right to play their cards their own way. — Marty Rubin, 1930-1994, Canadian gay activist, author & journalist |
| There is music you never hear unless you play it yourself. — Marty Rubin, 1930-1994, Canadian gay activist, author & journalist |
| It is not important that others like what you like. All that matters is that you like it. — Marty Rubin, 1930-1994, Canadian gay activist, author & journalist |
 | So absurd and fleeting is our passage through this world, that only the knowledge that I have been authentic, that I have managed to be the closest thing to myself, leaves me calm. |
 | I always went my own road and on my own legs where I had a mind to go. |
 | Nothing will work unless you do. |
Latin Quotes
 | If the winds fail you, use the oars. Destitutus ventis, remos adhibe. 106 likes |
Quotes in Verse
 | And if your pit is too deep, it is your duty to use your hands to get up. — Kostas Varnalis, 1883-1974, Greek poet 2 likes |
 | The great are strongest when they stand alone, A God-given might of being is their force. — Sri Aurobindo, 1872-1950, Indian nationalist, yogi & philosopher |
Ancient Greek
 | True to his own spirit. Κατά τον δαίμονα εαυτού. — Inscription, in Greek, on Jim Morrison’s tombstone in Paris 18 likes |
 | A man should be upright, not kept upright. Ορθόν ούν είναι χρη, ουχί ορθούμενον. — Marcus Aurelius, 121-180 AD, Roman Emperor ‐ Meditations III, 5 10 likes |
 | Rule yourself what is your own. Ων έχεις αυτός κράτει. — Aeschylus, 525-456 BC, Ancient Greek tragedian ‐ Eumenides 7 likes |
| I hold my own mind and think apart from other men. Δίχα δ’ άλλων μονόφρων ειμί. — Aeschylus, 525-456 BC, Ancient Greek tragedian ‐ Agamemnon 7 likes |
 | Migrating and living in a foreign land teaches self sufficiency. Ξενιτείη βίου αυτάρκειαν διδάσκει. — Democritus, 470-370 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher 4 likes |
Proverbs
 | Every one for himself and God for us all. 4 likes |
