comment: >
  
  This is way more true than a lot of people realize. Unfortunately, it usually becomes harder as you get older to learn those thing. Especially if you have children
context: I agree that people should be in a mindset to be persistent, but I think “God helps those who help themselves” or “fortune favors the bold” may be more applicable. 
  Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is literally impossible, and that phrase used to mean that very thing. From Wikipedia (I know, I know):
  In original use, often used to refer to pulling oneself over a fence, and implying that someone is attempting or has claimed some ludicrously far-fetched or impossible task. >
  
  This is going make people pop a forehead vein. >
  
  Agreed. It's a stupid saying to begin with seeing as the original context was talking about literally trying to lift yourself by pulling your bootstraps is impossible, but the meaning behind the phrase can be good advice. The world sucks a lot and it's sadly common to find yourself in tough situations, but no matter how much help you can get, self discipline and working hard can go a long way. >
  
  It's just that it's really pointless 'advice'. It's like telling a heroin addict to 'just not use heroin anymore', or a fat person to 'just lose some weight'. Like, no shit sherlock, they didn't need you to tell them that. If they knew how, they would have already done it. Not to mention it's usually said by priviledged people who have no idea what these struggles are like. >
  
  On its own, it is useless. “Hard work” doesn’t get you anywhere without knowing where to work/what to work on. >
  
  Working hard and persisting aren't the only things we need to do in order to improve our circumstances.  
  We also need to reach out for help and build strong support systems with other people. 
  Basically we can't pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We need to lift eachother up together instead. >
  
  "Don't tell people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps! Just tell them to work hard. I'm sure that thought has never occurred to them." >
  
  Many if not most work hard. They just work hard at the wrong things. Or they work hard now but didn’t when they were 15-23 years old. Working hard to learn in-demand skills is critical when you are at the age where you actually have the opportunity.