Pull yourself up by your bootstraps

Meaning

Rise through effort and self-reliance.

Usage

Used to describe self-made success.

Origin & History

Origins and dates here are approximate summaries. Many idioms have disputed or unknown origins, and not every date has been checked against a historical dictionary, so treat specific dates and stories as a starting point rather than a citation.

Early 19th-century imagery of lifting oneself by bootstraps, originally ironic.

Later adopted seriously in American self-help rhetoric.