--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: dependency harms culture. People thrive…" description: "\"“dependency harms culture. People thrive the more they can be self-reliant.”\" — Wesley J. Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/wesley-j-smith-62237_dependency_dependency-harms-culture-people-thrive-t_2842312.jpg" --- # dependency harms culture. People thrive the more they can… ![“dependency harms culture. People thrive the more they can be self-reliant.” quote by Wesley J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/wesley-j-smith-62237_dependency_dependency-harms-culture-people-thrive-t_2842312.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/wesley-j-smith-62237_dependency_dependency-harms-culture-people-thrive-t_2842312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/wesley-j-smith-62237_dependency_dependency-harms-culture-people-thrive-t_2842312.jpg) > ““dependency harms culture. People thrive the more they can be self-reliant.”” [Wesley J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-j-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dependence weakens culture; self‑reliance fosters flourishing. **In simple terms:** Relying on others harms society; independence helps it thrive. Key Takeaway Promote self‑reliance. Themes culture independence strength Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - education - entrepreneurship - social policy Key Concepts self‑sufficiency community resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance independence and cooperation? - What steps can individuals take to become more self‑reliant? A Different Perspective Too much independence can ignore communal support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-people/) [Dependency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependency/) [Dependency Harms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependency-harms-3733181/) [Harms Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harms-culture-3733182/) [People Thrive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-thrive-737394/) ## Related quotes > [I understand that it would be smart, career-wise, to line up something, but it wouldn't be smart for my personal life or my sanity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-understand-that-it-would-be-smart-career-wise-to-line-up-something/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People thrive on genuine connections - not with machines, but with each other. You don't want a robot taking care of your baby; an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-etzioni/people-thrive-on-genuine-connections-not-with-machines-but-with-each/) [Oren Etzioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-etzioni/) > [“What is the difference between people who thrive and people who decline over a long period of time? It’s not that they don’t get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-johnston/what-is-the-difference-between-people-who-thrive-and-people-who/) [Ray Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-johnston/) > [Bullying has always been around and there will always be people who thrive on the hurt they cause to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-paytas/bullying-has-always-been-around-and-there-will-always-be-people-who/) [Trisha Paytas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-paytas/) > [People thrive by focusing on the question of who they really are - and connecting that to work that they truly love .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/po-bronson/people-thrive-by-focusing-on-the-question-of-who-they-really-are-and/) [Po Bronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/po-bronson/) > [Some people thrive on creating chaos and then operating through it, though usually that's presented as a female trait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-schneider/some-people-thrive-on-creating-chaos-and-then-operating-through-it/) [John Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-schneider/) > [As a teenager I was more of an anarchist, but now I want people to thrive and be harmonious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/as-a-teenager-i-was-more-of-an-anarchist-but-now-i-want-people-to/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [A workplace that encourages self-awareness is an environment where the most productive, curious, and innovative people thrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-blumenthal/a-workplace-that-encourages-self-awareness-is-an-environment-where/) [Neil Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-blumenthal/) > [We all make mistakes, but the people who thrive from their mistakes are the successful ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/we-all-make-mistakes-but-the-people-who-thrive-from-their-mistakes/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [The most pro-business thing you can do is to help middle-class people thrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hanauer/the-most-pro-business-thing-you-can-do-is-to-help-middle-class-people/) [Nick Hanauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hanauer/) > [“This is a fast love culture, where people fall in and out of something so sacred you wonder if it has the same meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/this-is-a-fast-love-culture-where-people-fall-in-and-out-of-something/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [“A culture and its people are symbiotic—the culture attracts certain kinds of people and the people in turn either reinforce or evolve the culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/a-culture-and-its-people-are-symbiotic-the-culture-attracts-certain/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Very simply, the culture of another people does not have to be accepted when it is subhuman!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armstrong-williams/very-simply-the-culture-of-another-people-does-not-have-to-be/) [Armstrong Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armstrong-williams/) > [The key to culture is it's a framework for making decisions. And if it's baked into your culture, people learn how to make decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-rabois/the-key-to-culture-is-it-s-a-framework-for-making-decisions-and-if-it/) [Keith Rabois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-rabois/) > [“All cultures have, furthermore, an economic, social, and political base, and no culture can continue to live if its political destiny is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/all-cultures-have-furthermore-an-economic-social-and-political-base/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## More by Wesley J. Smith > [ I find it bitterly ironic that the bulk of the money a medical-malpractice jury awarded to Terri \[Schaivo\] for use in making her better… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-j-smith/i-find-it-bitterly-ironic-that-the-bulk-of-the-money-a-medical/) [Wesley J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-j-smith/) > [The morality of the 21st century will depend on how we respond to this simple but profound question: Does every human life have equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-j-smith/the-morality-of-the-21st-century-will-depend-on-how-we-respond-to/) [Wesley J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-j-smith/) > [Once self-killing is an acceptable answer, how do you logically limit it to the dying? What about the disabled, who may live longer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-j-smith/once-self-killing-is-an-acceptable-answer-how-do-you-logically-limit/) [Wesley J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-j-smith/) > [“I used to think that people worried about one world government were more than a little paranoid. Today, not so much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-j-smith/i-used-to-think-that-people-worried-about-one-world-government-were/) [Wesley J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-j-smith/) [Explore all 5 Wesley J. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-j-smith/) ## More Dependency quotes > [A lot of energy is lost to false teachers. Wherever dependency is created, energy is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-lot-of-energy-is-lost-to-false-teachers-wherever-dependency-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The second most common misconception about love is the idea that dependency is love...Its effect is seen most dramatically in an individual who makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/the-second-most-common-misconception-about-love-is-the-idea-that/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [I do not want to get rid of the safety net, I want to get rid of dependency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/i-do-not-want-to-get-rid-of-the-safety-net-i-want-to-get-rid-of/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [Dependency arguments often come from elites - either aid agencies or governments - and say something about attitudes to poor people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harvey/dependency-arguments-often-come-from-elites-either-aid-agencies-or/) [Paul Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harvey/) > [In such a government as ours no man is appointed to an office because he is the fittest for it--nor hardly in any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/in-such-a-government-as-ours-no-man-is-appointed-to-an-office-because/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The exploitation agenda advocated by liberals is modeled after the dependency-inducing design of the drug dealer's business model: "We'll supply the first hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-mcglowan/the-exploitation-agenda-advocated-by-liberals-is-modeled-after-the/) [Angela McGlowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-mcglowan/) > [“The rich man is always sold to the institution which makes him rich.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-rich-man-is-always-sold-to-the-institution-which-makes-him-rich/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“The rise or fall, success or failure of your dreams is largely dependent on the association you build yourself around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-rise-or-fall-success-or-failure-of-your-dreams-is-largely/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [If you depend on your company to take care of your retirement, your future income will be divided by five. Take care of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-you-depend-on-your-company-to-take-care-of-your-retirement-your/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [A careless way of sauntering across the earth and breaking open its treasures, a terrible dependency on sucking out the world's best juices for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/a-careless-way-of-sauntering-across-the-earth-and-breaking-open-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“This context dependency means that rather than causing X, testosterone amplifies the power of something else to cause X.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/this-context-dependency-means-that-rather-than-causing-x-testosterone/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [I was particularly talking with respect to aid, because that to me is one area that can make people so dependent, and unfortunately, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-was-particularly-talking-with-respect-to-aid-because-that-to-me-is/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [It science involves an intelligent and persistent endeavor to revise current beliefs so as to weed out what is erroneous, to add to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/it-science-involves-an-intelligent-and-persistent-endeavor-to-revise/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [To me, DIY means minimizing dependency on what others make for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fumio-sasaki/to-me-diy-means-minimizing-dependency-on-what-others-make-for-me/) [Fumio Sasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fumio-sasaki/) > [We’re supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharron-angle/we-re-supposed-to-depend-upon-god-for-our-protection-and-our/) [Sharron Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharron-angle/) [Browse all 201 Dependency quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependency/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“dependency harms culture. 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