Christopher Hitchens Quotes

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.

There are people, who the more you do for them, the less they will do for themselves.

Carefully avoid all undertakings which depends on others; but let him eagerly pursue that which depends on himself.

History shows that it does not matter who is in power or what revolutionary forces take over the government, those who have not learned to do for themselves and have to depend solely on others never obtain any more rights or privileges in the end than they had in the beginning.

Doing for people what they can and ought to do for themselves is a dangerous experiment.

Doing for people what they can and ought to do for themselves is a dangerous experiment. In the last analysis, the welfare of the workers depends upon their own initiative. Whatever is done under the guise of philanthropy or social morality which in any way lessens initiative is the greatest crime that can be committed against the toilers. Let social busybodies and professional "public morals experts" in their fads reflect upon the perils they rashly invite under this pretense of social welfare.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

If someone else isn't making it happen for you, make it happen yourself.

Men must necessarily be the active agents of their own well-being and well-doing they themselves must in the very nature of things be their own best helpers.

You've got a lot of very, very smart people standing by waiting for somebody else to do the work. Not a recipe for long-term solvency in my opinion.

No, I think it taught me to be independent and never expect a handout and never wait for anybody to hand you anything in any aspect of my life.

I don't think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good.

Tell the people not to depend on me anymore.

My mother often told us that it is a poor dog that will not wag its own tail.

I have always told my daughters not to be dependent on anyone in any capacity.

You have people like Sarah Jessica Parker - and it's also because of her mother and where she came from and all that stuff - but how you're taught to be responsible for yourself rather than endlessly people waiting for you and bringing you things.

Take responsiblilty for yourself because no one's going to take responsibility for you.

Today I will not wait for someone to come to my aid. I'm not helpless. Although help may come, I'm my own rescuer. My relationships will dramatically improve when I stop rescuing others and stop expecting others to rescue me.

One hundred percent my mother, who would always say, "If you want something done, do it yourself." She must have said that 100 times to me - as a child, as a young woman, yesterday on the phone.

We must clearly understand that when we give the child freedom and independence, we are giving freedom to a worker already braced for action, who cannot live without working and being active.

The only person who is going to give you security and the life you want is you.

No one can stop you from doing exactly what you want to do. If you can accept that the cavalry won't come, and if you can be the cavalry, it gives you a chance to be happy.

I was trained by my husband. He said, If you want a thing done go. If not send. I belong to that group of people who move the piano themselves.

To tell men that they cannot help themselves is to fling them into recklessness and despair.

Work alone is noble.