--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've spent my life supporting myself." description: "\"I've spent my life supporting myself.\" — Ann Beattie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/ann-beattie-14884_life_i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself-155_1559548.png" --- # I've spent my life supporting myself. ![“I've spent my life supporting myself.” quote by Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/ann-beattie-14884_life_i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself-155_1559548.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/ann-beattie-14884_life_i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself-155_1559548.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/ann-beattie-14884_life_i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself-155_1559548.png) > “I've spent my life supporting myself.” [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑reliance is portrayed as a lifelong effort of personal responsibility and independence. **In simple terms:** Self‑support is a lifelong practice. Key Takeaway Cultivate independence daily. Themes self‑reliance responsibility longevity Mood thoughtful motivational Type personal development inspirational When to use this quote - career building - financial planning - solo travel - creative work - health management Key Concepts existentialism psychology personal development Questions to Reflect On - What support systems can complement self‑reliance? - How do you balance independence with community? A Different Perspective Sustaining independence can lead to isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [One should always move on in life, and if we have a supporting hand, it becomes even better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hina-khan/one-should-always-move-on-in-life-and-if-we-have-a-supporting-hand-it/) [Hina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hina-khan/) > [You. I've spent my life waiting for you.' -Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/you-i-ve-spent-my-life-waiting-for-you-keenan/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [I've spent my whole life with people underestimating me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-shalala/i-ve-spent-my-whole-life-with-people-underestimating-me/) [Donna Shalala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-shalala/) > [I've spent my life being embarrassed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-ve-spent-my-life-being-embarrassed/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [I've spent my whole life trying to find out who I am, so I could express that through the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/i-ve-spent-my-whole-life-trying-to-find-out-who-i-am-so-i-could/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [I've spent my life making blunders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/i-ve-spent-my-life-making-blunders/) [Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/) > [I've spent my life playing music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-fallon/i-ve-spent-my-life-playing-music/) [Brian Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-fallon/) > [I've spent so much of my life travelling alone, so I keep things to myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohan-bopanna/i-ve-spent-so-much-of-my-life-travelling-alone-so-i-keep-things-to/) [Rohan Bopanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohan-bopanna/) > [I have the most beautiful souls in my life supporting me and helping me to follow my dreams. I love them more than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bindi-irwin/i-have-the-most-beautiful-souls-in-my-life-supporting-me-and-helping/) [Bindi Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bindi-irwin/) > [I think when you become a parent you go from being a star in the movie of your own life to the supporting player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-think-when-you-become-a-parent-you-go-from-being-a-star-in-the/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I've never spent on myself, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/i-ve-never-spent-on-myself-really/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [I've spent a lot on clothes. I'm not kidding when I say I could have bought several country homes with the money. I've also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-air/i-ve-spent-a-lot-on-clothes-i-m-not-kidding-when-i-say-i-could-have/) [Donna Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-air/) > [I've spent hours playing video games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-connick-jr/i-ve-spent-hours-playing-video-games/) [Harry Connick, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-connick-jr/) > [I've spent more money on my theatres since I bought them than I did buying them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-mackintosh/i-ve-spent-more-money-on-my-theatres-since-i-bought-them-than-i-did/) [Cameron Mackintosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-mackintosh/) > [I've spent more on my Dodger tickets that I did on my car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-ve-spent-more-on-my-dodger-tickets-that-i-did-on-my-car/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) ## More by Ann Beattie > [Clouds are poems, and the most moving poems linger on the blackboard so long, written in cursive so lovely, they also exist inside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/clouds-are-poems-and-the-most-moving-poems-linger-on-the-blackboard/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [If you could have a book called My Favorite Six Stories, I don't think I'd have trouble doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/if-you-could-have-a-book-called-my-favorite-six-stories-i-don-t-think/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [Nobody can assume that, to a writer, everything is off-limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/nobody-can-assume-that-to-a-writer-everything-is-off-limits/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [“This is a story, told the way you say stories should be told: Somebody grew up, fell in love, and spent a winter with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/this-is-a-story-told-the-way-you-say-stories-should-be-told-somebody/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [“This is a story, told the way you say stories should be told: Somebody grew up, fell in love, and spent a winter with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/this-is-a-story-told-the-way-you-say-stories-should-be-told-somebody-2/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [There is some reason, obviously, that you are drawn to your material, but the way in which you explore it might come to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/there-is-some-reason-obviously-that-you-are-drawn-to-your-material/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [I don't even correct people when they mispronounce my name now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/i-don-t-even-correct-people-when-they-mispronounce-my-name-now/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [Also minimalism is a term that all of us who share so little in common and who are lumped together as minimalists are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/also-minimalism-is-a-term-that-all-of-us-who-share-so-little-in/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [Italics provide a wonderful advantage: you see, right away, that the words are in a rush. When something exists at a slant, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/italics-provide-a-wonderful-advantage-you-see-right-away-that-the/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [I think I write about things that are mysterious to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/i-think-i-write-about-things-that-are-mysterious-to-me/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [Whatever one intends, the work takes on a life of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/whatever-one-intends-the-work-takes-on-a-life-of-its-own/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [I like a lot of Margaret Atwood, I like much of Alice Munro. Again, if you were to ask me about male writers, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/i-like-a-lot-of-margaret-atwood-i-like-much-of-alice-munro-again-if/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [It's not about having things figured out, or about communicating with other people, trying to make them understand what you understand. It's about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/it-s-not-about-having-things-figured-out-or-about-communicating-with/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [What will happen can't be stopped. Aim for Grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/what-will-happen-can-t-be-stopped-aim-for-grace/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [I don't write about things that I have the answers to or things that are very close to home. It just wouldn't be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/i-don-t-write-about-things-that-i-have-the-answers-to-or-things-that/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) [Explore all 45 Ann Beattie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've spent my life supporting myself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ann Beattie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/ann-beattie-14884_life_i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself-155_1559548.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/ann-beattie-14884_life_i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself-155_1559548.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/ann-beattie-14884_life_i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself-155_1559548.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've spent my life supporting myself.” — Ann Beattie", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ann Beattie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've spent my life supporting myself.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/i-ve-spent-my-life-supporting-myself/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```