self-reliance

[self-ri-lahy-uhns, self-]

noun

1. reliance on oneself or one's own powers, resources, etc.

self-reliance

noun

1. reliance on one's own abilities, decisions, etc

“Self-Reliance”

1. (1841) An essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson that advises the reader to “Trust thyself” and argues that “whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.” It is the source of several well-known epigrams, such as “To be great is to be misunderstood” and “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”

Other Word Forms

• self-reliant adjective
• self-reliantly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-reliance¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Related Words

• autonomy 
• self-determination 
• self-government 
• self-rule 
• self-sufficiency www.thesaurus.com
• sovereignty