---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more self-sufficient we are, the less…"
description: "\"“The more self-sufficient we are, the less we need others. The less we need others, the less likely we are to form the bonds of true community. Conveni..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/jeff-shinabarger-37965_convenience_the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less_141801.jpg"
---

#  The more self-sufficient we are, the less we need others…

![“The more self-sufficient we are, the less we need others. The less we need others, the less likely we are to form the bonds of true community. Convenience enhances self-reliance, increases ease, and ironically, separates us from real relationships with people who have real needs.” quote by Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/jeff-shinabarger-37965_convenience_the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less_141801.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/jeff-shinabarger-37965_convenience_the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less_141801.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/jeff-shinabarger-37965_convenience_the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less_141801.jpg)

> ““The more self-sufficient we are, the less we need others. The less we need others, the less likely we are to form the bonds of true community. Convenience enhances self-reliance, increases ease, and ironically, separates us from real relationships with people who have real needs.””

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Excessive self‑sufficiency erodes community bonds, as convenience isolates individuals from genuine relationships.

**In simple terms:** Too much independence weakens community ties.

Key Takeaway

Balance self‑reliance with meaningful connections.

Themes

community self‑reliance social health

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

social philosophical

When to use this quote

- neighborhood projects
- team sports
- volunteering
- support groups

Key Concepts

interdependence relationship building

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you foster community while maintaining autonomy?
- What practices strengthen real relationships?

A Different Perspective

Convenience can also empower individuals.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Self reliance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-reliance/) [Self sufficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-sufficient/)

## Related quotes

> [“What’s the most difficult thing you can do? Live simply. ‘Cause in order to be self-sufficient, you got to get well near everybody else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-humphreys/what-s-the-most-difficult-thing-you-can-do-live-simply-cause-in-order/)

[M.C. Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-humphreys/)

> [Self-sufficiency is the enemy of salvation. If you are self-sufficient, you have no need of God. If you have no need of God, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-nicholson/self-sufficiency-is-the-enemy-of-salvation-if-you-are-self-sufficient/)

[William Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-nicholson/)

> [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/)

[Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/)

> [I turned what was a wonderful case of self-reliance into a case of self-exile. Which is not uncommon, I think, in people who grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/i-turned-what-was-a-wonderful-case-of-self-reliance-into-a-case-of/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [Self-reliance is not just words, but deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/self-reliance-is-not-just-words-but-deeds/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/society-everywhere-is-in-conspiracy-against-the-manhood-of-every-one/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“. Self-reliance means you're in control. Don't ever think you need a man for happiness. Besides,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/self-reliance-means-you-re-in-control-don-t-ever-think-you-need-a-man/)

[Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/)

> [I think the Tata Group's greatest contribution to the growth of the Indian economy and Indian industry probably happened in the pre-independence era. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ratan-tata/i-think-the-tata-group-s-greatest-contribution-to-the-growth-of-the/)

[Ratan Tata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ratan-tata/)

> [We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-have-been-preserved-these-many-years-in-peace-and-prosperity-we/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“Pride; you know that self sufficient, self sustaining ego that may be very well the strength to your entire being but the weakness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-tru-sum/pride-you-know-that-self-sufficient-self-sustaining-ego-that-may-be/)

[The Tru Sum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-tru-sum/)

> [The snow itself is lonely or, if you prefer, self-sufficient. There is no other time when the whole world seems composed of one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/the-snow-itself-is-lonely-or-if-you-prefer-self-sufficient-there-is/)

[Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/)

> [However self-sufficient we may fancy ourselves, we exist only in relation -- to our friend, family, and life partners; to those we teach and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/however-self-sufficient-we-may-fancy-ourselves-we-exist-only-in/)

[Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/)

> [For, behind the scenes, halfway around the world in Mexico, were two decades of aggressive research on wheat that not only enabled Mexico to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-borlaug/for-behind-the-scenes-halfway-around-the-world-in-mexico-were-two/)

[Norman Borlaug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-borlaug/)

> [ \[We need to \] select immigrants based on their likelihood of success in U.S. society and their ability to be financially self- sufficient. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-to-select-immigrants-based-on-their-likelihood-of-success-in/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [Kami'd always retold her fairy tales to make the fair maidens braver and more self-sufficient, but she had never had any real objection to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/kami-d-always-retold-her-fairy-tales-to-make-the-fair-maidens-braver/)

[Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/)

## More by Jeff Shinabarger

> [“Friendships and relationships change my perspective. Once I change my perspective, I live differently. When we gain a heart of compassion toward others who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/friendships-and-relationships-change-my-perspective-once-i-change-my/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“We have an uncanny ability to accumulate things that are not essential to living, yet we lack the practice of releasing the acquired junk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/we-have-an-uncanny-ability-to-accumulate-things-that-are-not/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“For the next week, every day, listen to the words of your friends or colleagues. Try to hear what others communicate as a need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/for-the-next-week-every-day-listen-to-the-words-of-your-friends-or/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“Generosity is a lifestyle that seeks to understand the needs of others and strives to bring an end to that suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/generosity-is-a-lifestyle-that-seeks-to-understand-the-needs-of/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“By design, we must fully live the life that only we can live. Every person that lives less than his or her potential is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/by-design-we-must-fully-live-the-life-that-only-we-can-live-every/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“if we as consumers do not understand what marketing does to us, we are not defining what is enough; we are letting others determine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/if-we-as-consumers-do-not-understand-what-marketing-does-to-us-we-are/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/character-cannot-be-developed-in-ease-and-quiet-only-through-2/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“In Africa there is a concept known as ubuntu—the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/in-africa-there-is-a-concept-known-as-ubuntu-the-profound-sense-that-2/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“Leroy helped me process the reality that when we engage in the messiness and tension of a suffering community, we experience the positive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/leroy-helped-me-process-the-reality-that-when-we-engage-in-the/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“Our desires consume our time. But when we prioritize our time to help people in great need, our desires change drastically. When we choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/our-desires-consume-our-time-but-when-we-prioritize-our-time-to-help/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

> [“surround yourself with people who are in need, and you will desire to meet needs. Surround yourself with people living in excess, and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/surround-yourself-with-people-who-are-in-need-and-you-will-desire-to/)

[Jeff Shinabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

[Explore all 12 Jeff Shinabarger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/)

## More Convenience quotes

> [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Is the minor convenience of allowing the present generation the luxury of doubling its energy consumption every 10 years worth the major hazard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/is-the-minor-convenience-of-allowing-the-present-generation-the/)

[David R. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-brower/)

> [“A phone call should be a convenience to the caller, not an inconvenience to the called.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-phone-call-should-be-a-convenience-to-the-caller-not-an/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [The average family exists only on paper and its average budget is a fiction, invented by statisticians for the convenience of statisticians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-porter/the-average-family-exists-only-on-paper-and-its-average-budget-is-a/)

[Sylvia Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-porter/)

> [What you call disorder is nothing else than one of the laws of the order you comprehend not and which you have erroneously named…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/what-you-call-disorder-is-nothing-else-than-one-of-the-laws-of-the/)

[Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/)

> [“And what is the state but a servant and a convenience for a large number of people, just like the electric light and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/and-what-is-the-state-but-a-servant-and-a-convenience-for-a-large/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Thirty or forty proprietors, with incomes answering to between one thousand and five thousand a year, would create a much more effectual demand for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/thirty-or-forty-proprietors-with-incomes-answering-to-between-one/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [If you spot a market where the only choices are at either one end or the other - high fidelity or high convenience -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/if-you-spot-a-market-where-the-only-choices-are-at-either-one-end-or/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [Unfortunately, nature seems unaware of our intellectual need for convenience and unity, and very often takes delight in complication and diversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/unfortunately-nature-seems-unaware-of-our-intellectual-need-for/)

[Santiago Ramon y Cajal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/)

> [What more degrades woman today than that she so often seeks marriage as a support? Why is the holy sacrament of love, the sanctity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-c-ames/what-more-degrades-woman-today-than-that-she-so-often-seeks-marriage/)

[Mary C. Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-c-ames/)

> [To what fortuitous occurrence do we not owe every pleasure and convenience of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/to-what-fortuitous-occurrence-do-we-not-owe-every-pleasure-and/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [ \[Books\] will visit you at your convenience, whether you are lonesome or not, on rainy days or fair. They propose themselves as either transient… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/books-will-visit-you-at-your-convenience-whether-you-are-lonesome-or/)

[Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/)

> [What is undeniable is that when comforts and convenience sap our energies and idealism, inactivity secretes sloth in to our minds like a poison…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/what-is-undeniable-is-that-when-comforts-and-convenience-sap-our/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [It's a double-headed coin, because technology is a convenience but it's stifled our attention spans. At one time, albums had songs that were like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cee-lo-green/it-s-a-double-headed-coin-because-technology-is-a-convenience-but-it/)

[Cee Lo Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cee-lo-green/)

Browse all 451 Convenience quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The more self-sufficient we are, the less we need others. The less we need others, the less likely we are to form the bonds of true community. Convenience enhances self-reliance, increases ease, and ironically, separates us from real relationships with people who have real needs.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeff Shinabarger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less-we-need-others-the-less-we/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Convenience"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less-we-need-others-the-less-we/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/jeff-shinabarger-37965_convenience_the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less_141801.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/jeff-shinabarger-37965_convenience_the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less_141801.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ba/jeff-shinabarger-37965_convenience_the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less_141801.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The more self-sufficient we are, the less we need others. The less we need others, the less likely we are to…” — Jeff Shinabarger",
                "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": "Jeff Shinabarger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shinabarger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The more self-sufficient we are, the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less-we-need-others-the-less-we/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shinabarger/the-more-self-sufficient-we-are-the-less-we-need-others-the-less-we/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
