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Gagarin1961 t1_jar2jwn wrote

Reply to comment by byllz in TIL "to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps" is an example of an impossible task. The idiom dates at least to 1834, from the Workingman's Advocate: "It is conjectured that Mr. Murphee will now be enabled to hand himself over the Cumberland river or a barn yard fence by the straps of his boots. by meat-juice

Yes so the phrase originated as an example of an “Impossible task,” but it’s since become a term for a self starting process.

The linked article reads:

>In general, bootstrapping usually refers to a self-starting process that is supposed to continue or grow without external input.

Computer engineers aren’t referring to an impossible task, just a self starting one. As much as Reddit loves the original usage, the the phrase “pull oneself up by their bootstraps” today means to use what you have to get ahead instead of relying on outside help.

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