The real wisdom here isn't about stubborn independence—it's about how rejection clarifies your actual convictions. When someone says no, you discover whether you merely wanted their approval or whether you genuinely believe in the thing itself. Einstein understood that the people who refused him weren't obstacles to overcome; they were the ones who inadvertently separated his ego from his ambition. A young entrepreneur rejected by investors often finds that the forced pivot—having to bootstrap, to think leaner, to prove the concept works without capital—builds something far more durable than money alone could have purchased.