The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
We can do things for ourselves or we can pay others to do them for us. There are the two “systems” that support us; we might call them the “self-reliance” system and the “organization system.” The former tends to produce self-reliant men and women; the latter tends to produce organization men.
In the modern world ... there has been an enormous and historically unique shift: away from self-reliance and toward organization. As a result, people are becoming less self-reliant and more dependent ... They may claim to be more highly educated than any generation before them; but the fact remains that they cannot really do anything for themselves.
It is in the essence of self-reliance that you start now and don’t wait for something to turn up.