"You've got to pull yourself up by the bootstraps!" This phrase that has been around since the 19th century though no one has really been able to trace it to its origin. The idea behind the phrase is you have to improve your own condition. No one is going to do it for you. They are very effective for pulling boots on, but it is impossible to lift yourself up by them. There is a bootstrap theology that has proved to be a great frustration to believers.