pull oneself up by one's own bootstraps
Succeed without help
To pull oneself up by one's own bootstraps is to improve one's situation through hard work and self-reliance, without outside help.
The phrase comes from an image of physical impossibility—lifting yourself by tugging on your own boot straps—yet it's used earnestly to describe self-made success: He pulled himself up by his bootstraps and built a business empire.
Often invoked in debates about social mobility, where critics note the original absurdity.
- accomplishmentSuccessful completion of aim
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- initiativeSelf-directed action capacity
- figure of speechNonliteral expressive phrase
industriousness · tenacity · progress · inner strength · self-sufficiency · grit · willpower · self-motivation · rags to riches · self made man · self-determination · fortitude · resourcefulness · self-made · starting from nothing · resolve · hustle culture · adaptability
pull oneself up by one's own bootstrapsmooch
Obtain by begging
freeload · give up · throw in the towel · take the easy way out · learned helplessness
pull oneself up by one's own bootstrapsborn with a silver spoon in one's mouth
Wealthy from the start
nepotism · trust fund baby · old money · legacy admission · family connections
pull oneself up by one's own bootstrapsgive up
Stop attempting something
puller, oneself, straps, bootstrap, bootstraps, bootstrapped, bootstrapping