People blame their environment. There is only one person to blame - and only one - themselves.

Collier’s line rejects environmental determinism in favor of radical personal responsibility. It argues that while circumstances may be difficult, the decisive factor in one’s outcomes is one’s own choices—habits, effort, and attitude—rather than external conditions. The emphatic repetition (“and only one”) functions as a moral prod: it is meant to strip away excuses and redirect attention to agency. In the context of early twentieth-century self-help and success literature (a milieu Collier is strongly associated with), the quote serves as a motivational maxim, encouraging readers to treat setbacks as prompts for self-examination and deliberate change rather than as evidence of fate or unfair surroundings.