Something to Think About: Self-Reliance

"Self-Reliance" is the title of one of the most famous essays in American literature. Ralph Waldo Emerson published it in 1841 in his collection Essays: First Series. Nearly two centuries later, its central idea, trust yourself, still resonates, and still provokes debate.

What Emerson argued

Emerson urged readers to trust their own thoughts and intuitions rather than conforming to society, tradition or other people's expectations. One of the essay's best-known lines is "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." He criticised conformity and the fear of being inconsistent, arguing that people should follow their own convictions even if that meant contradicting their past selves.

The essay is a passionate defence of individuality, independent thought and personal integrity.

Self-reliance today

Emerson's ideas can be applied in practical, modern ways:

Thinking for yourself

Question assumptions, including your own.
Form your own views rather than adopting others' opinions wholesale.
Make decisions based on your values, not just what others expect. Our article on being your authentic self explores this.

Practical skills

Learn to cook, do basic repairs, manage money and look after your health.
Build skills that let you adapt to change.

Financial resilience

Build savings so you're less dependent on any single source of income. See start an emergency fund.
Understand your finances rather than leaving everything to others.

Emotional self-reliance

Learn to soothe yourself in difficult moments.
Develop a sense of self-worth that doesn't depend entirely on others' approval.

The limits of self-reliance

Self-reliance can be taken too far. Humans are social creatures, and nobody truly does everything alone. Research consistently links strong social relationships with better health and wellbeing. Refusing help, isolating yourself or believing you should cope with everything alone can be harmful.

There's also a fairness question. Not everyone has equal opportunities to be self-reliant. Health, disability, poverty and discrimination affect what people can do alone. A society that values self-reliance also needs to value support and community.

Balancing independence and connection

A healthy approach might be called interdependence: being capable and confident in yourself, while also giving and receiving support.

Do what you can for yourself, and build skills over time.
Ask for help when you need it. It's a sign of wisdom, not weakness. See ask for what you want.
Offer help to others. Strong communities rely on mutual support.
Trust your judgement, but stay open to others' perspectives.

Read it yourself

Emerson's essay is in the public domain and freely available online through Project Gutenberg. It's not always easy reading, with long sentences and nineteenth-century style, but it rewards patience. You might read a few paragraphs at a time and write down what strikes you.

Try this

Choose one area where you'd like to be more self-reliant, such as a skill, a financial step or a decision you've been deferring to others, and take one step this week. Then choose one area where you could accept more help.

Sources and further reading

Questions people ask

Is Emerson's essay hard to read?

It can be. The sentences are long and the style is nineteenth-century, but it's short. Reading a few paragraphs at a time and noting one idea from each makes it far more approachable.

Is asking for help a failure of self-reliance?

No. Knowing when to ask is part of good judgement. Even very independent people rely on others for skills, advice and support.