comment: >
  
  On its own, it is useless. “Hard work” doesn’t get you anywhere without knowing where to work/what to work on.
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.