The actual sight of a first-class house that a Negro has built is ten times more potent than pages of discussion about a house that he ought to build, or perhaps could build.
Interpretation
Seeing real achievements is far more impactful than mere discussions about potential.
Booker T. Washington emphasizes the importance of tangible accomplishments over theoretical discussions. The quote suggests that witnessing the results of hard work, particularly by marginalized communities, carries more weight and influence than simply talking about what could or should be done. It highlights the value of practical examples as motivational and transformative forces in society.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech on community development to illustrate the impact of real projects.
Leaders have devoted themselves to politics, little knowing, it seems _x000D_ that political independence disappears without economic independence _x000D_ that economic independence is the foundation of political independence.
You go to school, you study about the Germans and the French, but not about your own race. I hope the time will come when you study black history too.
Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.
I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.
If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.
Great men cultivate love...only little men cherish a spirit of hatred
The only thing that could hurt me is if my success encouraged me to return to my childhood fantasies of omnipotence - but that is not likely to happen as long as I remain engaged in the financial markets, because they constantly remind me of my limitations.
Once you can accept failure, you can have fun and success.
The best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are.
A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.
Are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? … I'd rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that's just not reality. … I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success.
It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.
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