Literary notes about Reliance (AI summary)
The word "reliance" in literature has been employed to express a spectrum of trust—from the implicit confidence in another’s word to the push for individual self-trust. In historical narratives, for example, Southey illustrates the dangers of misplaced trust when a promise fails, leaving Commodore Linzee repulsed by its unfulfillment ([1]). Philosophical and political texts echo a similar caution, with Dewey and Emerson warning against blind reliance on external authorities and encouraging self-reliance instead ([2], [3]). In the realm of fiction, authors such as Austen and Eliot use the term to reveal both a character’s inner strength and vulnerability, whether it is reliance on personal virtues or the hope placed in another’s words ([4], [5], [6]). Furthermore, military and strategic writings, as seen in Clausewitz and Burke’s works, invoke reliance to discuss the calculated trust and critical judgments necessary in times of conflict ([7], [8]). Overall, the varied use of "reliance" across genres reinforces its role as a multifaceted concept, integral to exploring the balance between dependence on others and the value of personal conviction.
- This promise he was unable to perform; and Commodore Linzee, who, in reliance upon it, was sent upon this service, was repulsed with some loss.
— from The Life of Horatio, Lord Nelson by Robert Southey - Reliance upon others ( b ) With reference to behavior also, the external ideal has a great influence.
— from How We Think by John Dewey - [79] SELF-RELIANCE
— from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson - He had never yet forfeited that approbation, and he had considerable reliance on his own virtues.
— from Adam Bede by George Eliot - expressing everything needful: attention to his words, and perfect reliance on their truth.
— from Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - "Oh, I must go ," said Maggie, earnestly, looking at Dr. Kenn with an expression of reliance, as if she had told him her history in those three words.
— from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - Firm in reliance on his own better convictions, the Chief must stand like a rock against which the sea breaks its fury in vain.
— from On War by Carl von Clausewitz - Let the reader consider what follows in the light of the assurances already quoted, in reliance on which Germany laid down her arms.
— from The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes
