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• self-reliance
  self-reliance

  noun

  reliance on oneself or one's own powers, resources, etc.
• “Self-Reliance”
  “Self-Reliance”

  (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.”

self-reliance

American  

[self-ri-lahy-uhns, self-] / ˈsɛlf rɪˈlaɪ əns, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

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

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self-reliance British  

noun

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

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“Self-Reliance” Cultural  

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.”

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-reliantly
  adverb
• self-reliant
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-reliance

First recorded in 1825–35

Explanation

Self-reliance is a quality of depending on yourself for things instead of relying on others. You might decide to prove your self-reliance by hiking the Appalachian Train on your own. When people have self-reliance, they are independent and autonomous — in other words, they take care of themselves. Some of us develop self-reliance as children, when we start to prepare food for ourselves, take the bus alone, or in other ways exert our independence. The philosopher John Stuart Mill is credited with the first use of self-reliance, in an 1883 letter in which he described it as one important quality of "a free man."

Example Sentences

China's top leaders recently acknowledged that the domestic economy "faces certain difficulties and challenges," and called for greater self-reliance in tech and industrial chains.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

Amid all the spending on technological self-reliance, China’s government has so far held back on large-scale economic stimulus that could help get people to spend more.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Prior to her speech, Takaichi said "Vietnam highlights strategic self-reliance with a positive and active external foreign policy".

From Barron's • May 2, 2026

While the war will strengthen Beijing's ongoing push towards self-reliance, China is not really winning in this scenario, says Yu Jie from London-based think tank Chatham House.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

I had my own home, humble though it was, and I was developing the confidence and self-reliance necessary to stand on my own two feet.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• autonomy
• self-determination
• self-government
• self-rule
• self-sufficiency
• sovereignty