You didn't build that!
You didn't build that.
It's an accusation quoted in one form or another by President Obama, Elizabeth Warren, and Hillary Clinton. What they mean by this charge is that individual success is built upon the collective effort of contributions from people working together, both now and in the past, enabled through government programs, services, and initiatives.
Therefore, successful people are remiss in attributing their success to anything they may have personally done.
The philosophy behind this statement is clearly an attack on individual effort. Yes, it is true that government can foster the conditions necessary for individuals to advance and succeed in life. Taxpayers do foot the bill for infrastructure and services, and workers do produce the products of economic activity.
But go tell creative giants like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Henry Ford, "You didn't build that."
Without the leadership, drive, and commitment of individuals like them single-mindedly pursuing their visions - while at the same time enlisting the aid of others to help and convincing them of the value of those visions - an opportunity-rich environment would go completely to waste.
In a way, the argument is kind of the which-came-first, chicken-or-egg question, but not quite. Group effort and group consensus may be more democratic, but as a general rule group dynamics tends to bring everything down to the lowest common denominator. Somebody's got to come up with the grand idea and take the initiative to do something to implement that idea, believing their way is the best. Government may open up possibilities, but they remain just possibilities until someone acts on them to bring them to fruition.
Throughout life many people do indeed contribute to how well you succeed in your endeavors. That is what a benevolent, democratic society does, and what it's supposed to do. But it's up to you to expend the effort, take the financial risks, utilize your time and resources, and make the decisions you have to make in pushing yourself forward toward achieving your goals.
Everyone has had a teacher, a mentor, a community of co-operation to guide and assist him or her to achieve success. But no amount of help can help those who don't make an effort to help themselves. Countless people have expended great effort and made all kinds of sacrifices to realize their dreams, oft times never receiving just compensation or recognition for those efforts, and many times failing completely.
"You didn't build that" is an insult to your personal integrity, your ambitions, and the sacrifices and commitments you have made to get where you want to be.
