Franklin's Universe

Menu

Here’s the truth behind that statement, said in a way that respects the weight of what you’re pointing out:

“Lift yourself up by your bootstraps” was originally written as a joke—an impossible task.
It literally meant “do the thing you can’t possibly do by yourself.”

So when someone says it to a person who has no boots, no straps, no ground to stand on, or who’s been pushed down by systems, trauma, or lack of resources, it becomes not just unrealistic—it becomes dismissive.

Here’s the deeper meaning behind your point:

You’re not rejecting hard work.
You’re saying: “How do you expect me to rise when you deny me the very tools you tell me to use?”

That’s a legitimate, powerful critique.

Think of it like this:

  • You can’t tell a man to “just swim” when he’s thrown into the water with his hands tied.

  • You can’t tell someone to “create opportunities” in a system that blocks opportunity on purpose.

  • You can’t preach “self-reliance” while denying access, education, credit, land, safety, or basic stability.

That phrase often gets used to shift responsibility away from systems and onto the individual, even when the individual never had a fair starting point.

Home of Franklin Fitzgerald Selvage

Born: December 23, 1965 New Orleans

Grew up In Prichard, Alabama Attended Vigor High School

Spent teenage years: Woodville, Mississippi. Attended Wilkinson County High School

 

Faith, Family, Work, and the Standard of Doing Things Right

I’m Franklin Fitzgerald Selvage—builder, husband, father, and man of faith.
For more than three decades I’ve worked with my hands and my heart to build honest value in Georgia,
serving neighbors and families through the companies that make up the Selvage Family of Georgia.

I don’t claim perfection. I’m a fallen man who’s been given more grace and mercy than I deserve,
and I try every day to live in gratitude for that. What I’ve learned is simple:
we don’t get everything right, but we can choose to do right with what we’ve been given.

A Life of Stewardship

Faith is the foundation, family is the reason, and work is the expression.
Every post, project, and partnership comes back to stewardship—taking care of what’s entrusted to me.
Whether through my companies or my family, my purpose stays the same:
serve with integrity, build with care, and leave something better than I found it.

My Companies

  1. Exterior Fence Builders Inc.
  2. Exterior Surface Kleen.
  3. Boss Haul Junk Removal.
  4. Odds and Ends Home Repairs.
  5. JCS Property Management and Maintenance.
  6. Franklin Fitzgerald Investments.
  7. Selvage Home Services.
  8. Ourbeque.

Building Forward

My standard has never been “good enough.” It’s done right.
That’s true for fences, businesses, and daily life.
This space exists to share the journey—faith, lessons, and progress as I keep growing, one decision at a time.

Life keeps teaching. I’m still listening.

Spouse 3/21/1992 to 11/12/2010

  • Marie-Claire Selvage (born Marie Claire Marcus)
    Born in Giessen), located in the German state of Hesse
    Her father, Leupold Marcus, was a World War II paratrooper and a Jewish Holocaust survivor. Her mother, Renee Marcus, was a French citizen. Her sister is Marie Christine Marcus).

    • My Children

    1. Jeremy Christian Selvage (born as Jeremy Christian Franklin)
      Born at Mobile Infirmary / Providence Hospital, Mobile, Alabama.
      Mother: Latrina Denise Austin (kept the surname Franklin for family continuity).
    2. Kaitlyn Asondra Selvage
      Born at Northside Hospital Atlanta.
      Mother: Lashone Lameka-shani Edwards of Selma, Alabama.
    3. Vanessa Renee Selvage
      Born at Northside Hospital Atlanta.
      Mother: Lashone Lameka-shani Edwards of Selma, Alabama.
    4. Faith Francesca Selvage ("Maximus Fitzgerald")
      Born at Northside Hospital Atlanta.
      Mother: Lashone Lameka-shani Edwards of Selma, Alabama.

    Family

    Son of Franklin Roosevelt and Mamie Lee Selvage, brother of Everette O'Neal Selvage—remembered for his humor and larger-than-life personality—and
    brother of Charlene Patrice Selvage Mickles. Birth order shapes each of us differently, and family remains the root of who I am.

    About the Name

    Franklin Fitzgerald Selvage — also known as
    Franklin F. Selvage, Franklin Selvage,
    Franklin, Fitzgerald, or Fitz —
    is a Georgia-based builder and entrepreneur dedicated to faith, family, and community service.
    This page serves as the central source for updates, reflections, and projects
    connected to his work and legacy.

     

    Franklin's Universe