--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Self sufficiency appears to be a worthy…" description: "\"Self sufficiency appears to be a worthy goal, but it's now impossible if you want to actually get anything done. All our productivity, leverage and ins..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/seth-godin-152_community_self-sufficiency-appears-to-be-a-worthy_3049945.jpg" --- # Self sufficiency appears to be a worthy goal, but it's now… ![“Self sufficiency appears to be a worthy goal, but it's now impossible if you want to actually get anything done. All our productivity, leverage and insight comes from being part of a community, not apart from it. The goal, I think, is to figure out how to become more dependent, not less.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/seth-godin-152_community_self-sufficiency-appears-to-be-a-worthy_3049945.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/seth-godin-152_community_self-sufficiency-appears-to-be-a-worthy_3049945.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/seth-godin-152_community_self-sufficiency-appears-to-be-a-worthy_3049945.jpg) > “Self sufficiency appears to be a worthy goal, but it's now impossible if you want to actually get anything done. All our productivity, leverage and insight comes from being part of a community, not apart from it. The goal, I think, is to figure out how to become more dependent, not less.” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑sufficiency is ideal, but true productivity comes from community interdependence. **In simple terms:** Community boosts productivity more than isolation. Key Takeaway Embrace collaborative dependence. Themes productivity community dependence Mood pragmatic inspirational Type business collaborative When to use this quote - business development - creative teamwork - entrepreneurship Key Concepts network effects collective intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How can you increase collaborative efficiency? - What structures support healthy dependence? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on independence can limit impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actually Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually-productivity-5067581/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Dependent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependent/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goal Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal-think-682179/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self sufficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-sufficiency/) [Sufficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufficiency/) [Sufficiency Appears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufficiency-appears-5067580/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Worthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthy/) ## Related quotes > [Development of character consists solely in moving toward self-sufficiency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/development-of-character-consists-solely-in-moving-toward-self/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/absence-of-gratitude-is-the-mark-of-the-narrow-uneducated-mind-it/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [It must not be supposed that happiness will demand many or great possessions; for self-sufficiency does not depend on excessive abundance, nor does moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/it-must-not-be-supposed-that-happiness-will-demand-many-or-great/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Indeed, the keynote of government is injustice. With the arrogance and self-sufficiency of the King who could do no wrong, governments ordain, judge, condemn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/indeed-the-keynote-of-government-is-injustice-with-the-arrogance-and/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [A lot of people say there is no happiness in this life and certainly there's no permanent happiness. But self-sufficiency creates happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/a-lot-of-people-say-there-is-no-happiness-in-this-life-and-certainly/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Surrounded by the self -sufficiency of American culture, we can convince ourselves that we have what it takes to achieve something great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/surrounded-by-the-self-sufficiency-of-american-culture-we-can/) [David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/) > [America has a history of political isolation and economic self-sufficiency; its citizens have tended to regard the rest of the world as a disaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/america-has-a-history-of-political-isolation-and-economic-self/) [Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/) > [A very real barrier to faith is this feeling of self-sufficiency, this unrealistic idea that one can accomplish everything by his or her own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/a-very-real-barrier-to-faith-is-this-feeling-of-self-sufficiency-this/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [“The flat is small, with only a sliver of ocean view from the bedroom window, but I pay for it myself—not from the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/the-flat-is-small-with-only-a-sliver-of-ocean-view-from-the-bedroom/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [The myth of the self-sufficient individual and of the self-sufficient, protected, and protective familytells us that those who need help are ultimately inadequate. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-keniston/the-myth-of-the-self-sufficient-individual-and-of-the-self-sufficient/) [Kenneth Keniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-keniston/) > [We in the West seem to have made a fetish out of complete individual self-sufficiency, of not needing help, of being completely private except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/we-in-the-west-seem-to-have-made-a-fetish-out-of-complete-individual/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [In many cases, mathematics is an escape from reality. The mathematician finds his own monastic niche and happiness in pursuits that are disconnected from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-ulam/in-many-cases-mathematics-is-an-escape-from-reality-the-mathematician/) [Stanislaw Ulam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-ulam/) > [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/) > [Annual earnings in the fast-food industry are well below the income needed for self-sufficiency, and fast-food industry jobs are also much less likely than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rolf/annual-earnings-in-the-fast-food-industry-are-well-below-the-income/) [David Rolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rolf/) > [In its flawless grace and superior self-sufficiency I have seen a symbol of the perfect beauty and bland impersonality of the universe itself, objectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/in-its-flawless-grace-and-superior-self-sufficiency-i-have-seen-a/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Community quotes > [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/) [Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. 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Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) [Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Self sufficiency appears to be a worthy goal, but it's now impossible if you want to actually get anything done. All our productivity, leverage and insight comes from being part of a community, not apart from it. 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