carry one's own weight
Pull your share
To carry one's own weight is to contribute enough to justify one's place in a group or partnership—to do one's fair share rather than relying on others.
The image is of shared physical labor: Everyone on this team needs to carry their own weight.
Someone who doesn't is a burden, literally or figuratively.
Also phrased as pull one's own weight.
- obligationRequired task or commitment
- dutyRequired moral task
- do your partFulfill your responsibility
- fair shareEquitable part owed
- mutual supportAid flowing both directions
cooperation · team player · self-reliance · own two feet · autonomy · personal responsibility · contribution · chip in · heavy lifting · accountability · fairness · diligence · reliability · competence · hold your own · dependability · independence · resourcefulness