There is no such thing as a "self-made" person. . . . Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.

The quotation challenges the cultural ideal of the “self-made” individual by insisting that personal identity and achievement are composite products of community. Adams argues that moral and emotional inputs—small kindnesses and brief encouragements—shape not only outward success but also the inner architecture of thought and character. The emphasis on “one word of encouragement” elevates minor, often forgotten interactions into formative forces, reframing success as relational rather than solitary. Implicitly, the passage calls for humility (recognizing one’s debts), gratitude (remembering benefactors), and ethical reciprocity (becoming for others the encouragement that helped make us).