---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the point about that kind of stuff…"
description: "\"“But the point about that kind of stuff was that you needed someone around to be proudly independent and self-reliant. People who didn’t need people ne..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-w_1293715.jpg"
---

#  But the point about that kind of stuff was that you needed…

![“But the point about that kind of stuff was that you needed someone around to be proudly independent and self-reliant. People who didn’t need people needed people around to know that they were the kind of people who didn’t need people.” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-w_1293715.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-w_1293715.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-w_1293715.jpg)

> ““But the point about that kind of stuff was that you needed someone around to be proudly independent and self-reliant. People who didn’t need people needed people around to know that they were the kind of people who didn’t need people.””

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## About This Quote

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

Independence is praised, yet true self‑reliance requires community support and recognition of one's own strengths.

**In simple terms:** Being independent still needs others to validate it.

Key Takeaway

Seek community while staying self‑reliant.

Themes

independence community self‑reliance validation

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- team projects
- personal growth
- leadership
- support networks

Key Concepts

social identity interdependence pride

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance self‑reliance with needing others?
- When does seeking validation hinder independence?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on self‑sufficiency can isolate individuals.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Independent Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent-self/) [Needed People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed-people-848529/) [Needed Proudly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed-proudly-4224061/) [People Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-needed-888716/) [Proudly Independent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proudly-independent-4224060/)

## Related quotes

> [People who didn't need people needed people around to know that they were the kind of people who didn't need people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/people-who-didn-t-need-people-needed-people-around-to-know-that-they/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I almost had a threesome last night, all I needed was two more people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-almost-had-a-threesome-last-night-all-i-needed-was-two-more-people/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“She had a sense of comedy that was really exquisite, but she needed people, always people, to bring it out, with the inevitable result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-had-a-sense-of-comedy-that-was-really-exquisite-but-she-needed/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [During the height of COVID-19, I worked with state and local officials to make sure that our communities and transit systems had the resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/during-the-height-of-covid-19-i-worked-with-state-and-local-officials/)

[Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/)

> [“It was another of the essential ingredients that she felt her son needed: people with a goal. Such people would be easy to imbue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/it-was-another-of-the-essential-ingredients-that-she-felt-her-son/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“Heroes are the most wanted and most needed people in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/heroes-are-the-most-wanted-and-most-needed-people-in-the-world/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [“I understood the importance of hiring for strength rather than for lack of weakness, and I understood the meaning of “fit.” There are lots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/i-understood-the-importance-of-hiring-for-strength-rather-than-for/)

[Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/)

> [In a world like that, there would be no need for love anymore either. If everyone were perfect, there would be no need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-world-god-only-knows/in-a-world-like-that-there-would-be-no-need-for-love-anymore-either/)

[The World God Only Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-world-god-only-knows/)

> [Medicaid is needed by people who are not of means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-n-green/medicaid-is-needed-by-people-who-are-not-of-means/)

[Al N. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-n-green/)

> [Families that I lived with a little bit in junior high and quite a bit in high school and college. Just to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/families-that-i-lived-with-a-little-bit-in-junior-high-and-quite-a/)

[Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/)

> [“she was clinging ivy, she needed people to hold her up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-lamb/she-was-clinging-ivy-she-needed-people-to-hold-her-up/)

[Charlotte Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-lamb/)

> [“Solara: What was it like before? Eli: People had more than they needed, people didn't know what was precious and what wasn't, people threw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/book-of-eli-movie/solara-what-was-it-like-before-eli-people-had-more-than-they-needed/)

[Book of Eli Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/book-of-eli-movie/)

> [I never drove a car. I'm hopeless that way. I press the wrong buttons on the tape recorder. But if the person I'm interviewing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-never-drove-a-car-i-m-hopeless-that-way-i-press-the-wrong-buttons/)

[Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/)

> [Because of that she had never had enough energy to be herself, a person who, like everyone else in the world, needed other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/because-of-that-she-had-never-had-enough-energy-to-be-herself-a/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“Sometimes all a story needed was one or two people to read or listen to it to make it matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-langer/sometimes-all-a-story-needed-was-one-or-two-people-to-read-or-listen/)

[Adam Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-langer/)

## More by Terry Pratchett

> [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

[Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## More Independent Self quotes

> [Parents are untamed, excessive, potentially troublesome creatures; charming to be with for a time, in the main they must lead their own lives, independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/parents-are-untamed-excessive-potentially-troublesome-creatures/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [We need others for our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Without others we are nothing. Our sense that we are an island, an independent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/we-need-others-for-our-physical-emotional-and-spiritual-well-being/)

[Geshe Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/)

> [The culture in which you parent, mentor, or educate boys exhorts them to be individualistic and group-oriented at once, but does not give them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gurian/the-culture-in-which-you-parent-mentor-or-educate-boys-exhorts-them/)

[Michael Gurian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gurian/)

> [“And thus woman has been definitely established as the Other. Western mythology itself was a patriarchal construct; through its portrayal of woman as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-meyer/and-thus-woman-has-been-definitely-established-as-the-other-western/)

[Doris Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-meyer/)

> [“In the early nineteenth century, a new culture—a new idea about what to hope for—emerged for many Americans, centered around the independent self, under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/in-the-early-nineteenth-century-a-new-culture-a-new-idea-about-what/)

[Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/)

> [There is no real independent self, aloof from other human beings, inspecting the world, inspecting other people. You are, in fact, connected not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/there-is-no-real-independent-self-aloof-from-other-human-beings/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [“You are a single woman; you intend to remain one. You’ve acquired enough sexual experience to feel you belong to your times. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-jefferson/you-are-a-single-woman-you-intend-to-remain-one-you-ve-acquired/)

[Margo Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-jefferson/)

> [Independent self-reliant people would be a counterproductive anachronism in the collective society of the future where people will be defined by their associations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/independent-self-reliant-people-would-be-a-counterproductive/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [The frequent employment of one's will power masters all organs of movement and trains them to perform feats which otherwise would have been difficult,painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hackenschmidt/the-frequent-employment-of-one-s-will-power-masters-all-organs-of/)

[George Hackenschmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hackenschmidt/)

> [“You’ have to ‘see’ what ‘Chandubhai’ is doing; that is prurshartha (real independent Self effort). What is illusory effort? ‘What inner intent (bhaav) was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/you-have-to-see-what-chandubhai-is-doing-that-is-prurshartha-real/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [ “\[God is\] the eternal, independent, and self existent Being; the Being whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence; he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-clarke/god-is-the-eternal-independent-and-self-existent-being-the-being/)

[Adam Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-clarke/)

> [“The traditional hospital practice of excluding parents ignored the importance of attachment relationships as regulators of the child’s emotions, behaviour and physiology. The child’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-traditional-hospital-practice-of-excluding-parents-ignored-the/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [Understanding money is part of being independent. You can't be self-sufficient if you're relying on someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-de-cadenet/understanding-money-is-part-of-being-independent-you-can-t-be-self/)

[Amanda de Cadenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-de-cadenet/)

> [“Nobody is a whole team . . . We need each other. You need someone and someone needs you. Isolated islands we’re not. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/nobody-is-a-whole-team-we-need-each-other-you-need-someone-and/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [“The middle-class standard of the independent self has increasingly become the default American standard for how to think, feel and act in the world…this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-t-fiske/the-middle-class-standard-of-the-independent-self-has-increasingly/)

[Susan T. Fiske](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-t-fiske/)

[Browse all 22 Independent Self quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent-self/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But the point about that kind of stuff was that you needed someone around to be proudly independent and self-reliant. People who didn’t need people needed people around to know that they were the kind of people who didn’t need people.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry Pratchett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-was-that-you-needed-someone/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Independent Self"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-was-that-you-needed-someone/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-w_1293715.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-w_1293715.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-w_1293715.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But the point about that kind of stuff was that you needed someone around to be proudly independent and…” — Terry Pratchett",
                "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": "Terry Pratchett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But the point about that kind...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-was-that-you-needed-someone/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-the-point-about-that-kind-of-stuff-was-that-you-needed-someone/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
