I credit that eight years of grammar school with nourishing me in a direction where I could trust myself and trust my instincts. They gave me the tools to reject my faith. They taught me to question and think for myself and to believe in my instincts to such an extent that I just said, “This is a wonderful fairy tale they have going here, but it’s not for me.”
— George Carlin, in the New York Times, August 20, 1995
George, I have known in my life alcoholics, drug users, and mental patients. If we apply this "believe in yourself" New Age nonsense to every individual, the unsaid question has to arise..."What if your instincts suck, and your are a moron to begin with? Pocessing no outside standard higher than 'this is my plan and I believe in it' you arrive at a Paris Hilton if you are unexceptional, and Adolph Hitler if you are hugely charismatic.