The quote is an appeal to our core American value of self reliance. I doubt anybody who has done any serious and objective thinking about this would disagree about the importance this value has played in our success as a nation, or about the failure of all the 1960's style liberal welfare programs that were based on a value of collectivism instead of individualism. Unfortunately, it naievely suggests that self reliance is the answer to all our social problems. I disagree.