pull oneself up by one's bootstraps

Meaning: (idiomatic)To begin anenterpriseor recover from asetbackwithout anyoutsidehelp; tosucceedonly by one's owneffortsorabilities.We can't get a loan, so we'll just have topull ourselves up by our bootstraps.1834 Oct. 4,Workingman's Advocate, p. 1:It is conjectured that Mr. Murphee will now be enabled tohand himself overthe Cumberland river or a barn yard fenceby the straps of his boots.1941,George Orwell,The Lion and the Unicorn:Up to a point,civilizationcanlift itself up by its boot-tags. However unjustly society is organized, certain technical advances are bound to benefit the whole community, because certain kinds of goods are necessarily held in common.

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