Idioms mean what idioms mean. I get that. So at this point, “pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps” means to improve one’s situation or succeed through one’s own efforts, without outside help. But ...

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It’s impossible, and yet the bootstraps narrative drives out good policy. By Nicholas Kristof Opinion Columnist Back in the 1800s, the expression “pull oneself up by the bootstraps” meant the opposite ...

I think a lot about the ‘bootstraps’ narrative. You know the one – someone who assumes personal responsibility, works hard, and has strong core values can ...

I am a Yankee living in the great state of Texas. Amazingly, it took me almost 12 years of living here before I finally got my first pair of cowboy boots. Now I understand firsthand what it means to ...

The notion of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps is so built into the American ethos, the American myth, that challenging it is often bitterly attacked, or categorized as being somehow subversive.

“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” It’s a common phrase in American political discourse, particularly present in conservative rhetoric about self-reliance. The concept is simple: To pull yourself ...

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is the first in a four-part series for Wicked Local Beverly's annual Gifts of Hope campaign. Being a single parent of four children can be a very tough task. And it can be ...