rugged individualism

1. The belief that all individuals, or nearly all individuals, can succeed on their own and that government help for people should be minimal. The phrase is often associated with policies of the Republican party and was widely used by the Republican president Herbert Hoover . The phrase was later used in scorn by the Democratic presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman to refer to the disasters of Hoover's administration, during which the stock market Crash of 1929 occurred and the Great Depression began.

Example Sentences

But what both men had in common was a streak of rugged individualism, stubbornness, and personal vision.

From The Daily Beast

I convinced myself there was something virtuous about my rugged individualism.

From The Daily Beast

What, in other words, are the limits of rugged individualism?

From The Daily Beast

We are the land of meritocracy, rugged individualism and equal opportunity.

From The Daily Beast

As a general thing, the new Mosby recruit was a man of high intelligence, reckless bravery and ultra-rugged individualism.

From Project Gutenberg