Help yourself and your friends will like you.
Meaning: Self-reliance builds respect; those who solve their own problems attract genuine companionship rather than dependency.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Perseverance
- If you want a thing done, do it yourself. — Delegating tasks risks poor execution, so personal effort guarantees desired results.
- Almost was never hanged. — Narrow escapes from danger don't count as actual survival until the threat completely pas…
- Well begun is half done. — Starting with proper preparation and intention dramatically increases your likelihood of…
- Borrowed garments never fit well. — Relying on others' solutions or resources inevitably misaligns with your unique circumsta…
- Never quit certainty for hope. — Abandoning what you reliably have for uncertain future prospects invites unnecessary loss.
- Who never climbed, never fell. — Avoiding risk entirely guarantees safety but also prevents growth, achievement, and the v…
From our idioms
- Une auberge espagnole — A place or discussion in which you find only what you yourself brought to it.
- Ne pas être dans son assiette — To feel out of sorts, physically or mentally off-form.
- Se défendre bec et ongles — To fight back with everything you have.