--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reservations were meant to be a ladder…" description: "\"“Reservations were meant to be a ladder, not a permanent crutch.”\" — Dipti Dhakul" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/dipti-dhakul-27131_crutch_reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-n_1977862.jpg" --- # Reservations were meant to be a ladder, not a permanent… ![“Reservations were meant to be a ladder, not a permanent crutch.” quote by Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/dipti-dhakul-27131_crutch_reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-n_1977862.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/dipti-dhakul-27131_crutch_reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-n_1977862.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/dipti-dhakul-27131_crutch_reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-n_1977862.jpg) > ““Reservations were meant to be a ladder, not a permanent crutch.”” [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tools should serve as temporary aids, not permanent dependencies that hinder growth. **In simple terms:** Use aids temporarily, not forever. Key Takeaway Seek independence. Themes growth self-reliance tools Mood motivational reflective Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - career development - skill learning - personal coaching Key Concepts psychology self-improvement Questions to Reflect On - What crutches have you outgrown? - When should a tool become permanent? A Different Perspective Some tools become essential over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Indians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indians/) [Ladder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ladder/) [Reservations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reservations/) ## Related quotes > [It's a weird thing. Reservations were meant to be prisons, you know? Indians were supposed to move onto reservations and die. We were supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/it-s-a-weird-thing-reservations-were-meant-to-be-prisons-you-know/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [Indians were frequently off their reservations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffalo-bill/indians-were-frequently-off-their-reservations/) [Buffalo Bill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffalo-bill/) > [The Indians had to be either killed, or herded into reservations, which were essentially concentration camps, and forgotten. Their history had to be absolutely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/the-indians-had-to-be-either-killed-or-herded-into-reservations-which/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Looking at the purpose of our government toward the Indians, we find that after subjugating them it has been our policy to collect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-a-miles/looking-at-the-purpose-of-our-government-toward-the-indians-we-find/) [Nelson A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-a-miles/) > [There are several kinds of land on reservations. And all of these pieces of land have different entities who are in charge of enforcing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/there-are-several-kinds-of-land-on-reservations-and-all-of-these/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [Reservation should be under 'Bartlett.' Right, that's two T's. Yes. 'Bart-let-et.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bartlett/reservation-should-be-under-bartlett-right-that-s-two-t-s-yes-bart/) [John Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bartlett/) > [In recent years, the choice of drugs on these reservations and throughout my district has been methamphetamines. It has destroyed the rule of law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-renzi/in-recent-years-the-choice-of-drugs-on-these-reservations-and/) [Rick Renzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-renzi/) > [Post office closures in the Dakotas and Minnesota will impact many communities, but the White Earth reservation villages, and other tribal towns of Squaw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-laduke/post-office-closures-in-the-dakotas-and-minnesota-will-impact-many/) [Winona LaDuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-laduke/) > [There has been a vigorous acceleration of health, resource and education programs designed to advance the role of the American Indian in our society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/there-has-been-a-vigorous-acceleration-of-health-resource-and/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The Indians, however, could not migrate from one part of the United States to another; neither could they obtain employment as readily as white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-a-miles/the-indians-however-could-not-migrate-from-one-part-of-the-united/) [Nelson A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-a-miles/) > [Wait, we can not break bread with you. You have taken the land which is rightfully ours. Years from now my people will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudnick/wait-we-can-not-break-bread-with-you-you-have-taken-the-land-which-is/) [Paul Rudnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudnick/) > [“It is too often the case,” Crook said, “that border newspapers … disseminate all sorts of exaggerations and falsehoods about the Indians, which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-brown/it-is-too-often-the-case-crook-said-that-border-newspapers/) [Dee Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-brown/) > [Sixty percent of all Indians live in urban areas, but nobody's writing about them. They're really an underrepresented population, and the ironic thing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/sixty-percent-of-all-indians-live-in-urban-areas-but-nobody-s-writing/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [Wayne: I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them … the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/wayne-i-don-t-feel-we-did-wrong-in-taking-this-great-country-away/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [When I go to Indian reservations in the West, and especially to the Pine Ridge Reservation, I sometimes feel unsure where to put my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-frazier/when-i-go-to-indian-reservations-in-the-west-and-especially-to-the/) [Ian Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-frazier/) ## More by Dipti Dhakul > [“Life has become a survival game, maybe it’s time to fix the system instead of just warning the players.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/life-has-become-a-survival-game-maybe-it-s-time-to-fix-the-system/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“We've authority to record and authority to use, publicise if it is done publicly or in public places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/we-ve-authority-to-record-and-authority-to-use-publicise-if-it-is/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“You'll be brought in on temporary visas and denied pathways to permanent residency.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/you-ll-be-brought-in-on-temporary-visas-and-denied-pathways-to/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“Monday deserves to be free too!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/monday-deserves-to-be-free-too/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“If Hindi is soul, then every regional language is heartbeat!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/if-hindi-is-soul-then-every-regional-language-is-heartbeat/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“When the mats roll, red means "stop," green means "stop," and yellow also means "stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/when-the-mats-roll-red-means-stop-green-means-stop-and-yellow-also/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“Cartoons are like driving—fun to experience, impossible to explain!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/cartoons-are-like-driving-fun-to-experience-impossible-to-explain/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“Politics is the new Monopoly, and the board keeps shrinking for the common man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/politics-is-the-new-monopoly-and-the-board-keeps-shrinking-for-the/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“Yoga strengthens your core; politics weakens your faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/yoga-strengthens-your-core-politics-weakens-your-faith/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“Crumbling Infrastructure → Accelerate projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) and promote private sector participation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/crumbling-infrastructure-accelerate-projects-under-the-national/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“It's time for us to reassess our diplomatic playbook and adopt a more pragmatic and effective strategy for navigating the intricate web of global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/it-s-time-for-us-to-reassess-our-diplomatic-playbook-and-adopt-a-more/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“The only thing fake nourishes is crime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/the-only-thing-fake-nourishes-is-crime/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“Earn in France. Learn French. Earn in Germany. Learn German. Earn in Spain. Learn Spanish. Earn in Italy. Learn Italian. Earn in Netherlands. Learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/earn-in-france-learn-french-earn-in-germany-learn-german-earn-in/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“Diplomacy doesn’t come with extra lego pieces!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/diplomacy-doesn-t-come-with-extra-lego-pieces/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) > [“India is bringing spice back to the spice trade, in real estate form! (BRICS News: @BRICSinfo: ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/india-is-bringing-spice-back-to-the-spice-trade-in-real-estate-form/) [Dipti Dhakul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) [Explore all 20 Dipti Dhakul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/) ## More Crutch quotes > [It's terrible, a crutch, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-belmondo/it-s-terrible-a-crutch-isn-t-it/) [Jean-Paul Belmondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-belmondo/) > [How can you stand alone when leaning on a crutch is all youve ever known...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-you-stand-alone-when-leaning-on-a-crutch-is-all-youve-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're together with someone for some time, you will automatically depend on them as if they were a crutch. And then it ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-wilde/when-you-re-together-with-someone-for-some-time-you-will/) [Kim Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-wilde/) > [If I want to put makeup on, then, cool, I'll do that. But it's not going to be my crutch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-wright/if-i-want-to-put-makeup-on-then-cool-i-ll-do-that-but-it-s-not-going/) [Letitia Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-wright/) > [Racial humor was about 35% of my act when I first started. But I realized that it was a crutch. What brought it home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/racial-humor-was-about-35-of-my-act-when-i-first-started-but-i/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Being on one crutch to no crutches is a huge difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-vonn/being-on-one-crutch-to-no-crutches-is-a-huge-difference/) [Lindsey Vonn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-vonn/) > [A lot of the problems teenagers go through, it's better for them to go through them on their own. If you always have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-savage/a-lot-of-the-problems-teenagers-go-through-it-s-better-for-them-to-go/) [Ben Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-savage/) > [Offer the average person a crutch, even though they require it not; and most, will spend the rest of their lives limping, pointing at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/offer-the-average-person-a-crutch-even-though-they-require-it-not-and/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [The crutch of Time accomplishes more than the club of Hercules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/the-crutch-of-time-accomplishes-more-than-the-club-of-hercules/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [“Christ on a crutch”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward-3/christ-on-a-crutch/) [J.R.Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward-3/) > [... religion is a crutch, and only the crippled need crutches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/religion-is-a-crutch-and-only-the-crippled-need-crutches/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [“The truth may roar, but it's roaring does not terrify the blameless. Guilty conscience needs neither a critic nor an accuser. Remember, the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-truth-may-roar-but-it-s-roaring-does-not-terrify-the-blameless/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“If religion is a crutch, then society is the broken foot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-religion-is-a-crutch-then-society-is-the-broken-foot/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“The Gospel isn’t a life management program. It shouldn’t merely be the crutch we fall on when life gets ugly. It should be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-demuth/the-gospel-isn-t-a-life-management-program-it-shouldn-t-merely-be-the/) [Mary E. DeMuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-demuth/) > [I look at smoking as a crutch, and as an actor I would like strip away as many crutches as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-forlani/i-look-at-smoking-as-a-crutch-and-as-an-actor-i-would-like-strip-away/) [Claire Forlani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-forlani/) Browse all 54 Crutch quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Reservations were meant to be a ladder, not a permanent crutch.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dipti Dhakul" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-not-a-permanent-crutch/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crutch" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-not-a-permanent-crutch/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/dipti-dhakul-27131_crutch_reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-n_1977862.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/dipti-dhakul-27131_crutch_reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-n_1977862.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/dipti-dhakul-27131_crutch_reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-n_1977862.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reservations were meant to be a ladder, not a permanent crutch.” — Dipti Dhakul", "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": "Dipti Dhakul", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dipti-dhakul/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Reservations were meant to be a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-not-a-permanent-crutch/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dipti-dhakul/reservations-were-meant-to-be-a-ladder-not-a-permanent-crutch/#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 } } ] } ```