If there's one thing John Wayne admired, it was someone who could stand on their own two feet and take care of themselves no matter what the day might bring. In his films, he played everything from explorers of the western frontier to self-sufficient men who understood how best to handle even the worst disasters that nature or man could throw at them. The value of these skills, and the ability to stand on one's own two feet, not matter what happens, wasn't lost on Duke, who valued individualism and self-reliance above all else.