heaven helps those who help themselves

Questions

What does heaven helps those who help themselves mean?

A maxim encouraging people to attempt to solve their own problems.

Where does heaven helps those who help themselves come from?

Phrase originates from Aesop, an Ancient Greek author. It was first translated into Latin, then into French by Pierre Millot in 1646. The phrase originates as the opening sentence of Samuel Smiles' book Self-Help from 1859. It is a variation of the pre-existing maxim God helps them that help themselves which also appeared in Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack which was published in the first half of the 18th century.

How to pronounce heaven helps those who help themselves

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